Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

Pour all the Tonkatsu sauce ingredients into a fry pan and heat on medium. Simmer while stirring with a spatula. Once it starts to bubble gently, turn off the heat.

Stack the cabbage leaves and slice them into the thinnest possible shreds starting from the edge. Soak the cabbage in water. Once it becomes crisp, drain in a colander and remove excess water thoroughly. Make small cuts in the pork and score the connective tissue. Do the same on the other side. Pound the entire surface of the pork with the back of a knife (the non-cutting edge). Do the same on the other side of the pork, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Coat the entire surface of the pork with flour, then shake off any excess. Put the egg and water into a bowl and beat well. Add the flour-coated pork from Step 1 and coat it thoroughly with egg. Using a fork makes it easier to coat the meat evenly. Coat the pork with panko breadcrumbs. Press the panko lightly onto the entire surface of the meat. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Pour oil (for deep frying) into a pan and heat on medium to 170°C / 338°F. Then, add the pork and deep-fry for 3 minutes. Flip the pork over and fry for another 2 minutes. Skim off any loose panko or residue floating in the oil using a mesh skimmer. Drain the oil thoroughly, place the Tonkatsu on a wire rack, and let any remaining oil drip off. Afterward, cut into bite-sized pieces, serve on a plate with shredded cabbage, and drizzle with Tonkatsu sauce. If desired, garnish with mustard on the side. Enjoy!