Taiki Nakajima opened his food truck after a trip back to his hometown of Tokyo, where he found simple, addictive sandwiches in nearly every convenience store. His favorite was a pork katsu sando, and he has become known for his version: fried panko-crusted cutlets sandwiched between soft white bread with cabbage, tonkatsu sauce and Dijon mustard.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 pork katsu sandos |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 pork katsu sandos |
Ingredients
- 2 boneless pork loin chops (about 4 1/2 ounces each)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup panko
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/4 cup tonkatsu sauce
- 4 slices shokupan bread or other soft white bread, crusts removed
- 1 leaf green cabbage, shredded
- 2 teaspoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Using the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, pound each pork chop until 1/4 inch thick and about 3 1/2 by 6 inches. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Put the flour, egg and panko in 3 separate shallow dishes. Dredge the pork in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in the egg and dredge in the panko. Set on a plate.
- Fill a large Dutch oven or other pot with 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat until it registers 350˚ F on a deep-fry thermometer. Add the breaded pork and deep-fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
- Spread the tonkatsu sauce on 2 slices of bread. Top with the fried pork, more tonkatsu sauce and then the shredded cabbage. Spread mustard on the other 2 slices of bread and close the sandwiches. Cut in half.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 433 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg |
| Sodium | 350 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 433 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg |
| Sodium | 350 mg |
Reviews
Since I couldn’t find Shokupan bread or Tonkastu sauce in my small Southern Utah town, I made both of these components myself. I used the Shokupan and Tonka Sauce recipes found in the Food Network app. It was well worth the extra time to feel like we were having the most authentic Pork Katsu Sando experience possible. The Dijon mustard plays very well with the umami-sweet Tonka sauce. The delicious freshly-made break was soft an pillowing against the crunch of the Pork Katsu! All in all, a fantastic recipe. The pork got a little tough, so next time, I will try the recipe with chicken cutlets! This recipe is well worth a try!
The BEST in Portland hands down!! I keep going back for more!