tonkatsu made with hazelnut flour

I like making tonkatsu because it’s so simple and easy: rice, meat, and vegetables all in one bowl. Make the rice first–in a rice cooker you push a button and forget it. Next, make the sauce. While it’s simmering on the stove,  prep the meat. That’s it! This is my gluten-free version. I used ground hazelnut meal/flour instead of Panko bread crumbs. What was sacrificed in the crunchiness of the crumb coating was made up for by the nutty flavor of the hazelnuts.

Oven-Fried Tonkatsu

Ingredients

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• 8 pork tenderloin medallions, pounded thin  (1 pound trimmed of fat and silver)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups ground hazelnut meal/flour (can use any nut flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

How to make it

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• Preheat oven to  400˚F for pork tenderloin medallions
• Flatten each medallion to about ¼ inch thick.
• Prepare a baking tray; spray with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a pie plate, combine the hazelnut meal, salt and pepper.
• In another pie plate, pour the egg whites. Dip meat in egg whites
• Roll meat lightly in flour mixture until coated.
• Place each cutlet on the prepared baking tray.
• Bake cutlets 10-15 minutes.
• Slice meat into slivers about ½ inch wide.
• Serve meat with warm rice, steamed broccoli, and tonkatsu sauce for dipping (see my recipe for homemade tonkatsu sauce below)

Tonkatsu Sauce (from grouprecipes.com)

Ingredients

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• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup sake or rice wine (substitute rice vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons ginger, sliced
• 2 tablespoons garlic or 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup mirin (substitute ¼ teaspoon sugar to ¼ cup white wine)

How to make it

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• Put all the above ingredients in a sauce pan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.
• Reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes skimming any foam that rises to the top.
• Refrigerate extra sauce.
• Makes about 3 cups.