Tonkatsu

Namiko Hirasawa Chen’s tonkatsu is a Japanese pork cutlet with a crisp panko coating. This account selects her twice-fried pork-loin version and sesame tonkatsu dipping sauce.

The pork’s excess fat is trimmed and its connective tissue slit on both sides. After pounding and reshaping, the cutlets are seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Flour coats the pork first, followed by egg whisked with a separate portion of neutral oil. The selected fresh panko is pressed onto the cutlets, and the breading rests before frying.

Each cutlet fries, drains and rests on a wire rack before a second fry in the same oil. The author removes loose fried crumbs between batches and slices the finished cutlets across their width.

Toasted white and black sesame seeds are ground with some pieces left whole for texture. They join the supplied tonkatsu sauce in individual dipping bowls; the optional cabbage salad remains a separate accompaniment.