“I Love You” Tonkatsu
You might have heard of dishes called “Engagement Chicken” or “You Won’t Be Single for Long Vodka Cream Pasta” but I guarantee you haven’t heard of “I Love You” Tonkatsu. Why is that? Because it’s a name I just coined for my own dish. Apparently tonkatsu garners an “I love you” from the Hubs who rarely shows any verbal affection. Let’s face it: we’re Asian – it’s in our blood not to be affectionate. So you can imagine I was downright floored when the Hubs uttered these three little words to me when he found out I was making tonkatsu for dinner. Hey, if it takes making tonkatsu to get a little love from the Hubs, I’ll take it!
If there is one dish that the Hubs asks for time and time again, it’s tonkatsu. I try not to adhere to his requests too often because quite frankly, this isn’t the most healthy thing to consume all the time. But a little bit of fried heaven once in a while doesn’t hurt. Tonkatsu is easy to make but can get a bit messy. I guarantee you’ll have flour and panko crumbs all over your counter tops (and floors too, if you’re a messy cook like me) and stuck to your fingers, but the end result is tender, crispy and moist porky goodness.
Breaded pork chops ready to be fried
Tonkatsu
- 3 boneless pork chops
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups panko bread crumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
Pound pork chops with a meat tenderizer to about ½ inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Place the egg, flour and panko into three separate plates. Dip pork chop in egg and coat with flour, removing any excess flour. Dip pork chop back into egg and coat well with panko, pressing the bread crumbs into the pork chop to ensure that the bread crumbs stick. Repeat with remaining pork chops.
Heat a large skillet with ¼ inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening and hot, place pork chops into pan. ** It is important not to overcrowd the pan – fry in multiple batches if necessary. ** Fry for about 4 mins or until underside of pork chop is a golden brown, and then turn over. Fry for another 4 mins and drain pork chop on a wire rack or paper towel. Let pork chops sit for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite Tonkatsu sauce – this is our favorite.
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Omg, this is Robin’s favorite!!! Looks delish!!!
thanks mrs. byon! it appears our hubbies are quite alike!
love your cutting board!!!
@lisa: thank you, it was a wedding gift!