Everyone needs a little fried food once in a while, and this is about as good as it gets. I use 1/4 inch thick slices of pork sirloin, pressed and flattened, but chicken breast sliced or pounded flat works well, too.
- 1/2 pound of pork sirloin, sliced 1/4 inch thick across the grain, pressed out flat and thin
- Salt and pepper
- Flour - about a half cup, on a plate for dredging
- 2 eggs. lightly beaten, in a wide bowl
- 2 cups dried bread crumbs, in a wide bowl or plate
- Oil
Salt and pepper the pork slices well. Working the first piece of pork, flour it well until all surfaces are well coated and none of the meat is bare. Shake off excess flour. Dip slice into beaten egg to coat evenly on both sides, then into the bread crumbs. Make sure every surface is covered with bread crumbs. (It sounds messy, but don't be afraid to pile the bread crumbs right on top of the pork and press them in.) Place the first piece on a rack to dry. Do all the rest of the slices the same way, putting them on the rack when you're done.
You can let them rest on the rack up to 30 minutes, or fry immediately.
To fry, heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a wide frying pan until hot but not smoking. Lay the pork pieces in carefully without crowding the pan. (You can do them in batches if necessary.) Fry until the bottom is golden brown and juices begin to form on the top. Flip carefully and fry the other sides until brown. Remove to a paper towel lined tray and hold in a 225 oven till they're all done.
I like to dip my Katsu in teriyaki sauce and here's a good one:
Combine 2 cloves garlic chopped fine, 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, 2 green onions chopped fine, half cup soy sauce, half cup rice wine (mirin) or cream sherry, quarter cup sake or dry sherry, and a quarter cup brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Thicken with a little cornstarch (about 2 tsp) dissolved in water.
That's a little asian style spicy stir-fried cabbage, and just plain steamed rice from my rice cooker in the finished picture. If you'd like the recipe for the cabbage, let me know. I'm always happy to share, either here or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seattle-WA/grocerybagsavingscom/127010455348