Katsu Karē (カツカレー) Breaded Pork Cutlet with Japanese Curry

What is katsu? I did a little research and found out that it is short for katsuretsu, the Japanese translation for cutlet. It is used for meat that can be pounded thinly, like pork (tonkatsu) or chicken (torikatsu). I am not sure if there is any relation with it being fried though. My family has been making tonkatsu since I was kid - yes my mom likes to fancify the good 'ol fried pork chop :P

I have discovered katsu curry from my friends who love Japanese food and I tried it in this one hole-in-a-wall in downtown Seattle (Tsukushinbo, FYI for my local Seattle friends - should try this!). And then they pointed out that I can DIY the sauce by buying a cubed version from the Asian market.

So this is my version, if you like Thai Panang curry or Filipino Bicol Express, this is worth the try.

What you need:
4 boneless porkchops, preferably pounded
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs, or more if needed
pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
around 1/4 cup or less of Olive oil for pan frying

1 package (3.5 oz) curry sauce mix - get the cubed ones

How it's done:
Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Prepare your workstation:
Bowl 1: Flour
Bowl 2: Egg
Bowl 3: Panko bread crumbs

Coat pork with flour, dip in egg and then coat completely with bread crumbs. Do for all pork chops.
Pan-fry until golden brown, around 5-7 minutes each side on medium heat.

For the sauce, prepare according to instructions at the back (yes, there is an English version :P).
You can add chopped potatoes, carrots and onions, just like I did :)

Slice fried tonkatsu (pork chops), place sauce on top and serve with rice. Itadakimasu!