Katsu Sando Recipes

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Whisk the egg with a small splash of water in another shallow bowl. Place the panko in a deep dish.
• Lightly pound each cutlet with a meat mallet, then generously season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Dredge a cutlet in the flour, coating completely, then shake off any excess. Dip it in the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off, then coat with the panko, gently pressing so the crumbs adhere. Place the breaded cutlet on a plate and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
• Heat 1/3 inch oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add 2 of the cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until almost cooked through but still pink in the middle, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter, sprinkle with salt and tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 cutlets.
• Lay the bread on a cutting board in 2 rows of 4 slices. Spread each slice with butter. Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of the tonkatsu sauce over the 4 slices on the bottom row. Top each with some cabbage, then top with a fried pork cutlet. Squeeze about 1 more tablespoon of the tonkatsu sauce over each cutlet. Top each sandwich with the remaining bread.
• Set a flat platter or tray on top of the sandwiches on the cutting board, then lightly weigh it down with soup cans or similarly heavy items for about 5 minutes. Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal, wiping the blade clean between cuts.

Steps:

• Put the cabbages in two separate small bowls, sprinkle each one with ½ tbsp of the vinegar and leave to marinate. Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs onto separate plates. Mix all the ingredients for the tonkatsu sauce in a bowl and set aside.
• Dust the pork or chicken in flour, dip in the egg on both sides and then into the breadcrumbs, making sure they are well covered. Heat 1cm of the oil in a deep frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles as soon as it is dropped in. Fry the pork or chicken for 2-3 mins on each side or until the crumb coating is golden brown. Lift out and sprinkle with a little salt. Keep warm.
• Dust, dip and coat the prawns in the same way. Add a little more oil to the pan if you need to and fry the prawns.
• Spread mayonnaise over the slices of bread and lay them out on a board, then drizzle some tonkatsu sauce on two of the slices. Put the pork or chicken on one slice with tonkatsu on and arrange the prawns in a single layer on another. Spoon some pickled green cabbage onto the prawns and the pickled red cabbage onto the pork or chicken. Press another slice of bread, mayo-side down on each to make a sandwich. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and cut each one into four.