Cook the rice: As we are going to be serving this dish with some rice let’s get the preparation for that out of the way first. Follow our detailed online recipe to get your Japanese rice cooked perfectly.
Prepare the miso sauce: Start the miso sauce by combining 1/4 tsp tsuyu soup stock with 2 tsp water. Once done, mix the diluted soup stock with 1 tbsp hatcho red miso or red miso, 1.5 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp cooking sake and 1.5 tbsp sugar. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 15 seconds, stir, put it back for another 15 seconds and when done, add the white sesame seeds before stirring again.
Prepare the meat: Make small cuts in several places so it keeps its shape when cooking. Use a meat pounding mallet or the back of your knife to tenderize the meat on both sides. Finish by seasoning with some salt and pepper before covering with a thin layer of flour.
Coat the pork loin with egg and panko: Beat 1 egg in a different bowl and dip the pork in before covering with a generous amount of 80g panko breadcrumbs. Try to spread them evenly and press firmly onto the meat.
Grab a heavy bottomed pan: Fill it approximately 2/3 with oil before heating it to 160-170°C (you could use a deep fat fryer to regulate the temperature). A thick pan is great as it retains the temperature but an iron wok is best. Check the oil is at the right temperature by dropping some breadcrumbs into the oil, if they sizzle then the oil is ready.
Deep fry the pork loin: Carefully slide your breaded pork cutlet into the oil and allow it to cook for a few minutes before flipping it over. Let the other side cook for a few more minutes until the whole tonkatsu turns a golden colour. Place your tonkatsu on a wire rack and remove any excess oil by patting down with kitchen paper.
Serve and enjoy: Finally cut the meat into bite-size strips and serve with cooked rice on the side or, alternatively, place it on top of bowl of steamed rice to make a Miso Katsu Donburi.
