Said to have been brought to the islands by the Dutch, these are now as deeply ingrained in Japanese cooking as fried chicken is in ours. They are typically served on a simple bed of shredded cabbage, with a commercially prepared tonkatsu sauce. I have re-created the sauce from scratch here, and believe me, it’s far better than the bottled stuff. These can be deep-fried if you prefer (use about 2 inches of oil), but at home most Japanese shallow-fry them, as I do. Other cuts of meat you can use here: veal, chicken, or turkey cutlets.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

　　1 tablespoon soy sauce

　　1 tablespoon mirin or honey

　　2 teaspoons rice or other mild vinegar

　　4 boneless pork steaks, preferably from the shoulder, about 6 ounces each

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1/4 cup neutral oil, such as corn or grapeseed

　　Flour for dredging

　　2 eggs, lightly beaten in a wide, shallow bowl

　　2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs, page 8) or other bread crumbs, preferably homemade (page 580)

　　2 cups shredded cabbage

　　Lemon wedges for serving

　　

Step 1

Combine the first 4 ingredients and set aside. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper. Put a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot—a pinch of flour will sizzle—begin to prepare the pork: dip a piece in the flour, then the egg, and finally the bread crumbs—the more of this coating that adheres, the better. Put the piece of pork in the pan and repeat until done; you may have to cook in batches (keep any cooked pieces in a low oven until you’re finished cooking).

　　

Step 2

Adjust the heat so the meat cooks rapidly but the coating does not burn. Rotate the pieces so they brown evenly and turn each as the first side becomes deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Cook about the same amount of time on the second side.

　　

Step 3

Make a mound of cabbage on each of 4 plates. Drizzle the cabbage with a bit of the sauce, then top with a cutlet. Serve with lemon wedges and any remaining sauce.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.