Flatten the cutlets: Place the cutlets on a chopping board. Place some parchment paper or plastic wrap over them. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them down to 1/2" thickness.
Make the egg mixture: In a small bowl, crack the eggs and whisk until well combined. Add the red miso paste and stir until it has completely dissolved. Set it aside.
Make the spicy panko: In a large plate or bowl, whisk together the plain panko with 2 teaspoons of the shichimi togarashi chili powder.
Mix the flour: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Set it aside.
Dredge the cutlets: Place the pork cutlets in the flour mixture. Dredge them with the flour until they're completely coated.
Add vegetable oil to a large skillet and set it over medium heat. Let the oil heat up to 350˚F. You can use a kitchen thermometer to test the temperature. If you don't have one, you can check if it's hot enough in the next couple of steps.
Coat them with miso-egg: Place the dredged cutlets into the miso-egg mixture. Coat them entirely and then dredge them in the spicy panko. Press the panko onto the cutlets so it sticks on all sides.
Fry them: If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, test the oil's temperature by dipping a small corner of one of the cutlets into the oil. It's ready if it sizzles right away. If not, increase the flame. The size of the bubbles should be big when you add the pork. Once the oil is hot enough, gently lower one pork cutlet into the oil. Let it fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown; flip and continue to cook for 3 more minutes or until cooked through. Pork is cooked through when its internal temperature registers at 145˚F. Continue to cook the rest of the cutlets, one by one. Important: Using a fine mesh strainer, remove the leftover fried/burnt crumbs from the oil before adding the next cutlet to the cooking oil.
Cool and slice: Remove the pork cutlets from the oil and set them on a wire rack to cool; let them cool for 3 to 4 minutes, and then slice the cutlets into 1"-wide strips.
Drizzle with tonkatsu sauce and sprinkle more salt to taste if needed. Serve.
Pork Loin Cutlets:The term cutlet refers to a boneless, thin cut of meat - chicken, veal, pork - that cooks quickly and is usually pan-fried. Most cutlets are made by pounding the meat to an even thinness and are often dusted with flour or coated in breadcrumbs before cooking.
Panko: I used plain panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs for this katsu recipe, but you can also use gluten-free panko, regular breadcrumbs (though katsu is strictly made with panko crumbs), or low-carb pork rind crumbs.
Shichimi Togarashi Chili Powder is also known as Japanese Seven Spice. Shichimi togarashi's base is chili pepper, and cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes are suitable subs. You can also make your own quick substitute: mix together some orange zest, crushed red pepper flakes, finely chopped nori, some ginger, and some sesame seeds.
Using a fine mesh strainer, remove the leftover fried crumbs from the cooking oil before adding the next cutlet to the pan.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Course: Appetizer / Lunch / Dinner
Cuisine: Hawaiian, Japanese
Keyword: japanese tonkatsu, pork tonkatsu, tonkatsu