A bowl of sour cream, usually served with breaded pork chops.
The breaded pork chop is a cut of pork breaded and fried. It is often eaten as a main meal or placed in sandwiches for lunch. Variations of the breaded pork chop exist around the world, including the schnitzel from Austria, the kotlety schabowy from Poland, and the Japanese tonkatsu. The schnitzel was first recorded in Vienna in the 15th century, but it may have existed throughout the world before then. Breaded Pork Chops are relatively easy to make and come with a variety of side dishes.
Applesauce, often served with breaded pork chops.
Pork chops can be made from various cuts of pork. Pork chops can be used, but sirloin cuts are more common. The meat must be fresh and tender, so the sirloin is one of the best cuts. The center portions tend to provide the most tender meat, while the shoulder blade cuts are fattier and the sirloin cuts are bonier.
Traditionally, a breaded pork chop is first hammered with a meat hammer. This makes the cut thinner and therefore easier to cook. A thin cut cooks faster than a thick cut, which means the breadcrumbs are less likely to burn.
Breadcrumbs are commonly used to make breaded pork chops.
After thinning, the cut is dredged into three basins. The first bowl contains flour, the second bowl contains beaten eggs, and the last bowl contains bread bran. An alternative to breadcrumbs is Japanese panko crumbs. Breaded pork chop is pan-fried in fat or pan-fried in oil until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crisp. The frying process takes only a few minutes, making breaded pork chops a quick meal to put together.
Pork tenderloin is most commonly used to make pork chops.
Schnitzel is an Austrian dish from Vienna with variations around the world. The traditional schnitzel is made from beef, but many variants, including those found in Austria, use pork chops. A breaded pork chop escalope is usually served with a side dish and potato salad, but can also be served with mushrooms, bacon and onions.
Rantott hus is a Hungarian version of schnitzel that usually uses pork. It is eaten with French fries, rice or mashed potatoes and a cucumber salad. Hungarians usually eat the meat with a sour cream called tejfol or with ketchup and mayonnaise. Rantott hus is usually eaten as a Sunday meal or at festivals and special occasions.
Different cuts of pork can be used for pork chops, although sirloin cuts are more common.
Kotlety schabowy is another variation that comes from Poland, although it may predate schnitzel. Before the pork chop is coated in the flour, egg and breadcrumbs, it is soaked in milk for a few minutes while the oil is heated. It is usually served with applesauce or sour cream and with pierogi or a salad.
In Japan, breaded pork cutlet is cut into strips and served with boiled rice, Worcestershire sauce, and miso soup to form tonkatsu. As an alternative to Worcestershire sauce, tonkatsu can be served with miso sauce to make Nagoya miso katsu. Katsudon is a variant of tonkatsu that places sliced pork cutlets on top of rice along with shallots, grated daikon, and a partially cooked omelet.