PORK SCHNITZEL WITH SESAME, PLUM TONKATSU, YUZU MUSTARD & DASHI MUSHROOMS

I love Japanese tonkatsu — in fact I love just about anything that is crumbed and fried. The sweet and sour of the plum sauce is very moreish, and then the spicy mustard brings you back down to earth.

— 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pork loin

— 2 eggs

— 100 ml (3½ fl oz) milk

— 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted

— 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted

— 200 g (7 oz) panko (Japanese breadcrumbs; see Note)

— plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting

— vegetable oil, for pan-frying

— Plum tonkatsu, to serve

YUZU MUSTARD

— 3 tablespoons Japanese mustard

— 1 teaspoon yuzu juice (see Note)

DASHI MUSHROOMS

— 150 g (5½ oz) enoki mushrooms, trimmed

— 150 g (5½ oz) shimeji mushrooms, trimmed

— 150 g (5½ oz) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps thinly sliced

— 100 ml (3½ fl oz) Dashi stock (see Basics)

— 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch), mixed to a smooth paste with 1 tablespoon water

— 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, toasted

— 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, toasted

— 1 tablespoon sesame oil

FOR THE SCHNITZELS

Cut the pork into four 125 g (4½ oz) pieces. One by one, place each slice of pork between two sheets of plastic wrap, then beat with a meat mallet or small saucepan until about 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick.

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Toss the sesame seeds through the panko and season the mixture with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Season each pork portion with salt and pepper. Dust with the flour, then dip into the egg wash, then into the crumbs. Press the crumbs on firmly.

Repeat the egg wash and crumbing procedure for each schnitzel. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the crumbs to set.

FOR THE YUZU MUSTARD

Mix the ingredients together and set aside.

FOR THE MUSHROOMS

Bring the mushrooms and stock to the boil in a saucepan. Stir in the cornflour paste, stirring to thicken. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the cornflour taste has cooked out; if the sauce is too thick, add a little more stock. Remove from the heat and stir the sesame seeds and oil through. Reserve at room temperature.

TO SERVE

Heat 1 cm (½ inch) of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the schnitzels for 3–5 minutes on each side, or until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Season with sea salt.

Cut each schnitzel into three pieces and arrange on a platter. Drizzle the plum tonkatsu sauce over the slices. Put small dots of mushrooms around and serve the yuzu mustard on the side.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF A SHARED MEAL

• A JAPANESE INGREDIENT, PANKO BREADCRUMBS ARE MADE WITHOUT THE CRUST OF THE BREAD, AND ARE COARSER AND CRUNCHIER THAN REGULAR BREADCRUMBS.