Big in size, flavour and popularity, here’s two ways to make Tonkatsu.
Nama panko, made with Japanese milk bread, brings crispiness and texture. Once you’ve mastered this you can make amazing pork Tonkatsu with two different cuts.
You’re gonna need:
650 g Shokupan
Sous Vide Pork Shoulder Chops
4 Pork loin chops, boneless, 1-inch-thick
200 g Eggs,
120 g “00” flour
Neutral oil, for frying
Kosher salt, as needed
Make your breadcrumbs by removing crusts and slicing Shokupan. Place slices in ziplock bags and freeze. Remove from freezer and blend each slice. Add breadcrumbs to ziplock bags and cover.
Prepare your pork loin by pounding it out, seasoning with salt and refrigerate for one hour.
Heat sous vide bath to 140 °F / 60 °C. Put pork shoulder in ziplock bag and add salt, cook sous vide for 16 hours. Chill for at least 2 hours and cut into thick slices. Reheat slices in bath for 2 hours.
Whisk eggs and strain into a wide, shallow container. Set up a breading station with different containers of flour, egg wash, half of the nama panko, and a wire rack set inside a 1/2 sheet pan set next to stovetop.
In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 inches of oil to 350 °F / 177 °C over medium-high heat.
Pat dry shoulder chop, dredge in flour until well coated on all sides then add to egg wash and turn to fully coat. Allow excess egg to drip away before coating in panko breadcrumbs.
Fry in oil until golden brown on all sides, about 90 seconds, removing stray breadcrumbs. Transfer fried chop to wire rack, season. Repeat for remaining shoulder chops.
Prep your thinner loin chops the same way as step 6, one at a time and fry in oil at 330°F / 166°C for 3-4 minutes.
Whether you prefer it thick or thin, you get a crispy and tender pork Tonkatsu. For more, head over to chefsteps.com.