“Cheesy pork cutlet, Cheesy pork sandwich, or Cheesy fried pork chop, whatever you called it, this delicious savory ‘cheesy in pork’ dish would now be your child’s all-time-favourite. So as to you, big guys!”
I was so excited to introduce to you my latest dish, the mini cheesy sandwiched pork cutlet!
Yes, I did not make the standard sized pork chop, and instead, the bite-sizes. I wanted it to look cute. Most importantly, it was because I did it in a way that the pork chops were steamed beforehand. Just like my Japanese pork cutlet dish, it was easier to deep fry the crust to almost perfect golden by not worrying if the meat was cooked or not. Well, you may think this is an extra step which might not be necessary to you, do the ‘raw’ way may give you your better dish instead. It’s your comfort choice though..
Anyway, since school is out, soon… Go ahead to fill your picnic basket with these savory mini pork cutlet ‘sandwiches‘. No more ordinary bread sandwiches for picnic, this crispy sandwiched pork cutlet was simply aromatic and crispy. Its rich but not overwhelming cheesy content was good enough to just eat it on its own.
Ingredients
8 thin slices of boneless pork chop, each about 1cm thick
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of grounded white pepper
4 slices of Cheddar cheese, halved each slice
1 tablespoon of corn flour
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons of store-bought Japanese finely blended breadcrumb
Pinch of salt
1 cup of cooking oil (for frying)
Method:
1) Use the back of the knife or a meat pounder to lightly pound on the both sides of the pork chops. Brush honey on both sides of each pork chop. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Season for 15 minutes, if desired.
2) Place pork chops on a wire mesh steam rack with stands so that you can put the steam rack directly in the wok filled with 1/4 full of water to steam with placing the chops on a dish. Otherwise, use electrical steamer. Steam pork chops for 5 minutes. Remove pork chops from wok, let it cool.
3) Place a piece of steamed pork chop on a clean top surface. Roll and place half slice of cheese on the pork chop and fold the pork chop half. Then, take a toothpick and prick through the opening of the folded part so that it holds.
4) Mix pinch of salt to the cornstarch. Coat some salted cornstarch on both sides of the chops. Then, dip into beaten egg, followed by coating a thick layer of breadcrumbs on all sides. Repeat step for all the remaining chops. Place coated chops on a large dish to rest for 5 minutes before cooking.
5) Heat wok with oil over medium fire. Place pork chops in the oil and fry till golden browned. Or, use deep fryer to fry for about 1 minute. Remove from oil and drain on kitchen paper towel. Remove the toothpick pricked on each chop. Serve with mayonnaise, if desired.
Use those sliced Cheddar cheese, or get the grated ones. Both are fine to be sandwiched. If desired, mix more than one kind of cheese, how about an addition of Mozzarella?
1 piece of my mini cheesy pork cutlet counts about 180kcal.
Tips: If you are using raw pork chop without steaming it first, extend frying time to 3 – 5 minutes with low-medium heat.
