Vargr
Vargr

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And at last we come to the starring Entree of Vrghr's Hawaiian feast; a Pork Tonkatsu, done in Chef John's "Folded Katsu" style!
Wuff was looking for a centerpiece to his meal when Chef John released his video of his Folded Pork Katsu on YouTube and the Food Wishes blog. You can find his version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrWwFIdsWXg
As Chef John mentioned, his submission is the perfect base to run off in all manor of creative directions. Wuff stayed pretty close to his original, but added a layer of sliced Pancetta along with the cheese and seasoning between the layers. And wuff went with the Chef's original attempt, and used Panko instead of plain bread crumbs.
The result was a spectacular success! This is a moist, tender, highly flavorful and succulent dish! It hardly needs a thing to go with it, but wuffy made up a Katsu Sauce all the same, and this zippy, spicy, sweet/sour/soy condiment really changes the flavor in lovely ways.
You can enjoy this dish with or without that sauce, for two very different taste sensations.
This dish takes a wee bit more effort to prepare from all the rest of the Feast's creations, what with all the pounding to thin the pork, and the folding, dredging, coating & frying. But the result is totally worth it! And it's really not that difficult - just a tiny bit more time-consuming in the prep stages.
Wuffy is sure you'll enjoy this if you give it a try!
(Makes four large servings)
Ingredients:
For the Pork Cutlets:
1 full pork tenderloin (about 2 LBs) or 2 trimmed 1 LB tenderloins
Salt, Pepper, Cayenne seasoning to taste
4 tsp Dijon or similar grainy, full flavored Mustard
~2-3 oz grated Cheese (Gruyere, Monterey Jack, etc) (Vrghr used White Cheddar & Mozzarella)
Chopped Parsley
8 slices thin-sliced Pancetta
Enough cooking oil to fill the skillet about 1/2 inch deep
For the Dredging Station:
Corn Starch
2 Eggs beaten with 2 TBS Milk
Panko Bread Crumbs
For the Tonkatsu Sauce:
1 C Catsup
½ C Worcestershire Sauce
½ C Sake
2 TBS Ginger Paste
1 TBS Garlic Paste
¼ C Brown Sugar
¼ C Mirin
Optional: Shredded Cabbage for serving, Lemon Segments for Serving/Garnish
Directions:
If using the full, untrimmed Pork Tenderloin, trim off any excess fat and all the silver skin
Make the Tonkatsu sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a light simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool before serving. Refrigerate any extra. (Makes about 2.5 Cups)
Prepare the cutlets:
Slice each tenderlion in half lengthwise. Gently pound out between each slice between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, pressing out from the middle, until it is very thin (about 1/8 inch).
Sprinkle lightly to season with salt, pepper, and cayenne
Spread a VERY THIN layer of mustard over the seasoning
Grate a small amount of cheese over the top of the mustard
Lay down 2 slices of pancetta over the cheese (can sub prosciutto too) along the length of the tenderloin
Fold the tenderloin in about 1/3 of the way from the pointy end. Fold the edges up, slightly, then fold over another third and finish by folding the remaining bit on top
Press/pound lightly again to seal it all together (Can be refrigerated to firm up at this point)
Fry the Tenderloins:
Dust the folded Tonkatsu with corn starch, making sure to cover all the surfaces lightly. Dredge the coated meat in the egg/milk (or just eggs) mixture, and finally coat thoroughly in the Panko crumbs
In a large skillet, bring about 1/2 inch of cooking oil to medium high temperature (about 300-320 degrees)
CAREFULLY add the coated cutlets to the hot oil - DON'T DROP and let them splash! Fry in medium-hot oil until golden brown and crispy on one side. (Don't let the oil get too hot, or the coating will get too browned before the middle cooks.) Flip and fry the other side until golden brown. If you are unsure about doneness and have an instant-read thermometer, the center should be around 145 degrees
Allow to rest about 5 minutes to firm up before serving
To plate: Optional: Spread a portion of the shredded cabbage and place the pork on top. Offer with tonkatsu sauce on the side and wedges of lemon to garnish
!DEVOURLast edited on Tue Jan 22nd, 2019 06:39 pm by Vargr
____________________ We grow not old, so long as we continue to chase our dreams.
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