Pork Katsu

A simple and delicious crunchy fried Japanese style pork dish that makes for a fantastic weeknight meal. We serve ours with rice and veggies, and be sure to check out our suggestions for Katsu Sauce – whether you opt for homemade or store-bought, you can’t go wrong.

Author: Lauren McDuffie
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

Scale

4 boneless pork chops (about ½ inch thick)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup Japanese mayonnaise (kewpie mayo) or sour cream
1.5 cups Japanese panko breadcrumbs (more or less as needed)
1.5 tsp garlic powder (not traditional, but SO good)
Neutral flavored cooking oil (vegetable, canola, or grapeseed)
Katsu sauce, for serving (you can order here, or see details in post for how to make a quick version, OR you can sub Chinese hoisin sauce)

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Instructions

Put a baking/cooling rack over a large baking sheet and set aside (if you don’t have one, you can skip the rack and just set a baking sheet out with paper towels on top, to hold the cooked pork when it’s done).
Place the pork chops on a flat surface and, if you like, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Using a hard flat object (I just use my fist or a pint glass) pound them out just a little, to tenderize, flatten, and increase the surface area. Season each pork piece with a little salt and pepper and brush both sides with a thick coating of the Japanese mayo.
In a large gallon-sized bag, add the panko, some salt to taste, and the garlic powder. Next, add the prepared pork pieces, close the bag, and shake until the pork is nice and coated. If you have to coat them a little by hand before frying, that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Pour cooking oil to a depth of about ½ inch in a large, deep-sided skillet set over med-high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot (about 360 degrees F.), cook the pork, in batches if necessary, for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crunchy (see NOTE for double frying method). Transfer to the prepared rack to drain, cool. Serve warm with the katsu or hoisin sauce.

Notes

To double-fry these for extra crunch, only fry them for one minute per side the first time they go in the oil. Then, transfer them to the prepared baking/cooling rack, let them rest for a couple of minutes, and the fry them once more for about 2 more minutes, until deeply browned.

Find it online: https://mykitchenlittle.com/2021/07/15/pork-katsu/