Steps

1. Prepare the equipment. Set a wire rack on a draining tray, and place flour in a plastic bag. Put panko on one side of the tray.
   🕒 00:54
2. Prepare the pork. Let the pork loin sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes after taking it out of the refrigerator. Wipe off any drippings from the packaging.
   🕒 01:28
3. Score the pork. Using scissors, make cuts in the connective tissue between the fat and lean parts of the pork loin. Cut the fat on the back and the inner side as well.
   🕒 02:24
4. Season the pork. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper on one side of the pork loin, stack the other slice on top, and pat to combine. Season the other side similarly.
   🕒 03:10
5. Coat the pork with flour. Place the pork loin in the plastic bag with the flour, shake lightly to coat both sides, and tap off excess flour. [This is a key tip!] Using a plastic bag allows you to work without making a mess in the kitchen.
   🕒 03:47
6. Make the batter. Crack 1 egg into the bag with the remaining flour. Kneed the bag over the tray to create a batter of egg and flour. [This is a key tip!] Using batter improves adhesion and thickness of the coating.
   🕒 04:26
7. Coat the pork with breadcrumbs. Dip the pork loin coated in flour into the batter, then place it on the panko and press firmly to coat the entire surface. Do the same for the other slice.
   🕒 05:15
8. Let the coating set. Let the pork loin coated in panko rest for about 3 minutes. [This is a key tip!] The panko absorbs moisture, allowing the coating to set and making it less likely to fall off during frying.
   🕒 06:00
9. Prepare the frying oil. Pour about 1 cm of frying oil into a frying pan and arrange the pork loin with excess panko brushed off. Add more frying oil until the meat is about halfway submerged.
   🕒 06:31
10. Fry using the cold start method. Place the meat in the oil without turning on the heat, and then turn on medium heat. [This is a key tip!] By gradually raising the temperature with a cold start, the meat cooks through evenly and remains juicy. It also makes oil temperature control easy.
    🕒 07:14
11. Fry one side. Gently shake the pan occasionally and fry without touching until the bottom is golden brown. [This is a key tip!] This prevents the bottom from burning.
    🕒 07:25
12. Flip and fry. Once one side is golden brown, flip it and fry the other side until it is also golden brown.
    🕒 08:10
13. Rest the fried tonkatsu. Once both sides have a nice golden brown color, remove them from the pan and place them on a wire rack set over a draining tray. Let them rest for about 1 minute. [This is a key tip!] Cutting hot tonkatsu will cause the meat juices to escape, making the coating soggy. Resting allows the juices to settle.
    🕒 08:57
14. Cut the tonkatsu. Slice the rested tonkatsu.
    🕒 09:21
15. Plate and serve. Plate the tonkatsu, serve with cabbage, and it's done.
    🕒 09:44