Pork Easy

Thick pork katsu sando

Name: Thick pork katsu sando
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 50 g (1¾ oz/¹⁄³ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour; Salt flakes; Freshly ground black pepper; 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) full-cream (whole) milk; 1 egg; 50 g (1¾ oz) panko breadcrumbs; 200 g (7 oz) pork loin, thick piece; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter; 100 g (3½ oz) Chinese cabbage (wombok); 50 g (1¾ oz) Kewpie mayonnaise; 30 g brown sauce; 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed

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12m

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by Darren Purchese

Jan 10, 2019

You should know by now how much I love sandwiches, and when I hear of a new sandwich craze that’s sweeping the world, I WANT IN! This sanga is Japanese in origin (and name), with katsu meaning cutlet and sando the Japanese abbreviation for sandwich. The crispy pankocrusted juicy pork is heaven and the fresh cabbage cuts through the fat; then, in a nod to a western bacon sandwich, it has my brown sauce blended with Japanese Kewpie mayo. But the real star is possibly that pillowy, thick crustless white bread. You seriously could eat this any time of day, but it certainly covers all bases for breakfast. This is an edited extract from Chefs Eat Breakfast Too by Darren Purchese.

50 g (1¾ oz/¹⁄³ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
Salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) full-cream (whole) milk
1 egg
50 g (1¾ oz) panko breadcrumbs
200 g (7 oz) pork loin, thick piece
2 tablespoons olive oil
25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter
100 g (3½ oz) Chinese cabbage (wombok)
50 g (1¾ oz) Kewpie mayonnaise
30 g brown sauce
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed

Method

1.

Put the flour on a flat tray or plate and season it with salt and pepper. Combine the milk and egg in a small bowl and use a fork to mix them together. Put the breadcrumbs on a separate tray.
2.

Coat the pork loin in the seasoned flour and shake away any excess. Dip the pork into the milk and egg mixture, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then dip it into the breadcrumbs, ensuring it is evenly coated. Shake off any excess breadcrumbs.
3.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the pork loin to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden. Turn the loin and cook the other side until the breadcrumbs are golden and the pork is just cooked. Place the pan in the oven and cook the pork for a further 5 minutes. Transfer the pork to a wire rack, cover with aluminium foil and leave to rest and cool for 10 minutes.
4.

Thinly slice the cabbage using a mandoline or sharp knife. Combine the mayonnaise and brown sauce in a bowl and spread onto the insides of both slices of bread. Place the pork on one slice of bread and top with the cabbage. Place the remaining slice of bread, sauce side down, on top to complete the sandwich. Press gently and then use a sharp knife to cut the sandwich in half.

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Recipe Notes

Chef’s tip

Three things on your shopping list will make this dish soar:

You need fluffy, spongy sliced white bread – something that has been enriched with butter and milk is perfect. Try a Japanese-style bakery.
Kewpie mayonnaise: there is no substitute for this.
Panko breadcrumbs: one of Japan’s greatest culinary gifts to the world.