Meat & BBQ
Donkatsu (Korean Pork Cutlet)
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Servings
2
Steps
- 1
Pound the pork chops to an even thickness, about 1/4 inch.
- 2
Season both sides with salt and pepper and let rest 10 minutes.
- 3
Set up a dredging station: flour, beaten egg, then panko breadcrumbs.
- 4
Coat each cutlet in flour, then egg, then press firmly into the panko to coat evenly.
- 5
Heat oil to 340-350°F (170-175°C) in a wide pan.
- 6
Fry the cutlets 3-4 minutes per side, until deeply golden and cooked through.
- 7
Drain briefly, then slice into strips.
- 8
Whisk together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and honey for the sauce, and serve alongside rice.
Did you know — Korean culture
Donkatsu traces back to Japanese yōshoku cuisine — Western-style dishes adapted with local techniques after Japan opened to Western trade in the 1800s — which itself adapted the breaded cutlet from European schnitzel. Korea then adapted the Japanese version further, typically serving it with a sweeter, thicker sauce and a side of rice rather than the sharper Japanese tonkatsu sauce.
Pounding the pork to an even thickness matters more than most people expect. Uneven cutlets cook unevenly — the thin end can dry out and toughen while the thick center is still catching up — so a consistent thickness across the whole piece is what actually guarantees a juicy result.
Pressing the panko on firmly, rather than just rolling the cutlet through it, is what keeps the coating from flaking off in the oil. A loosely coated cutlet loses breading in the pan and ends up patchy instead of evenly golden.
Donkatsu traces back to Japanese yōshoku cuisine — Western-style dishes adapted with local technique after Japan opened to Western trade in the 1800s — which itself adapted the breaded cutlet from European schnitzel. Korea then adapted the Japanese version further, typically serving it with a sweeter, thicker sauce and rice rather than the sharper Japanese tonkatsu sauce.
Troubleshooting
Cutlet tough or dry inside? It was likely pounded unevenly, or fried too long — an even thickness cooks more predictably, and pork loin only needs a few minutes per side.
Breading flaking off in the oil? Press the panko onto the cutlet firmly by hand after dredging, rather than just rolling it through the crumbs.
Coating greasy instead of crisp? The oil temperature probably dropped too low — fry in a properly hot pan, and don't crowd more than one or two cutlets in at a time.