Recipe: Tonkatsu - Japanese Fried Pork Chops using Deep Fryer

FULL VIDEO: Episode #26 Tonkatsu - Japanese Fried Pork Chops with Deep Fryer

• Click here to see all Japanese carbon steel woks and frypans.
• Click here to see our Japanese carbon steel deep fryers.

Tonkatsu is one of our favourite Japanese dishes. Served with tonkatsu sauce, these pork chops are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

A Japanese deep fryer with a thermometer and oil drip stand makes this incredibly easy to make. Alternatively, you can use a carbon steel fry pan or wok. Because deep frying involves high temperatures, carbon steel or stainless steel is recommended.

Tonkatsu sauce is sold in many supermarkets. We use pork cutlets in the video. You can use pork cutlets or pork chops.

Ingredients

• 2 pork chops
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour
• 60ml cold water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup panko
• Tonkatsu sauce

Instructions

1. Set up your deep fryer. Cover it with the lid and place the thermometer in the correct spot.
2. Prepare three stainless steel trays: one for seasoning the pork chops, one for the beaten egg mixture, and one for the panko.
3. To prevent the pork chops from curling, cut through the fat. (See video.)
4. Season both sides with salt and pepper in the first tray.
   
5. Crack one egg into the second tray and beat it. Add cold water. Stir well. Set it aside.
6. Panko is made from flakes of crustless white bread that are dried and then processed into flakes. Compared to regular breadcrumbs, these breadcrumbs have a dryer, flakier texture. Any bread crumbs from the supermarket will do, but panko is recommended.
7. Put a cup of panko in the third stainless steel tray and set it aside.
8. In the first tray, coat the pork chops with flour. To make the flour finer, our demonstrator uses a sifter. (See video.)
9. Make sure all sides of the pork chops are covered with flour.
10. Then dip the pork chops in the egg mixture. Next, coat the pork chops with panko. All sides of the pork chops should be covered with panko.
    
11. Check to see that the deep fryer has enough oil.
12. Pork chops can be perfectly deep-fried at the proper temperature. Be sure to monitor the thermometer closely and keep it at the right level. 160 degrees is the recommended temperature for this dish. Different recipes may have different temperature suggestions.
13. Fry for 2 minutes on each side for a total 4 minutes. The pork chops should be golden brown and crispy.
14. Remove the meat from the oil and place it on the lid to rest. Allow the excess oil to drip back into the pot.
    
    
15. Pork chops can be dipped in tonkatsu sauce and topped with vegetables.
16. Reusing oil is possible with the help of a simple filter. Our oil pot is also convenient for reusing deep fried oil.
17. It is easy to clean all parts of the deep fryer. Read the instructions for your deep fryer and make sure you know if it is nitrided or not. The maintenance of your deep fryer is determined by this.

1. Remember a reasonably heated cookware and heated oil (not overheating) are key.
2. Users will need basic cooking techniques and common sense (understanding of proper heat control, knowing how to check the food periodically, and so on).
3. Heat level, Please note that the heat levels shown below are for general reference only. Every cooktop is different. The following ranges apply if 10 is the maximum.

• Low heat: the heat level is 1-2.
• Medium low heat: the heat level is 3-4.
• Medium heat: the heat level is 5.
• Medium high heat: the heat level is 7-8.
• High heat: the heat level is 9-10.

Click here to see all Japanese carbon steel woks and frypans.
Click here to see our Japanese carbon steel deep fryers.

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