Location: My tiny kitchen

I always pay attention to the side dishes that comes with fried food. KFC sells their finger linking goods with potato salad and coleslaw. Greek restaurants always serve calamari with tzatziki. But when it comes to fried pork chops, I never see a consistent combination. The Taiwanese are one of the experts at making cutlets. Their pork chops are thin and the batter is never too thick. I like the Japanese Tonkatsus as well, but I never care for the sweet brown sauce served on the side. Eating all these different kinds of cutlets make me wonder: what if I eat my cutlets with coleslaw and tzatziki? The combination turned out to be amazing.

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This recipe serves 2 people who hungry people who really love pork chops.

Try to buy pork chops with a thin cut. The chops I used are about 1/3” thick, bone in. Make an incision near the bone without cutting the bone entirely off; doing this will ensure the chops get fully cooked during frying. Place 5 pork chops on a plate and put in:

- 1 tsp of salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp of onion powder (onion is the best blessing for pork)
- 1 1/2 tbsp of coarse grain mustard

Marinate the chops in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

Fill a quart pan with oil up to 1/3 of its height. Do not pour more oil than half full. Insert a candy thermometer (one that reads up to 400F) into the oil. Do not let the bottom of the thermometer to touch the bottom of the pan. I learned this when my last thermometer exploded in a pan of boiling oil, which was not a fun experience My thermometer now has a clip that clips to the side of the pan. Let the oil temperature to rise to 350F.

Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb that can be found in most Asian grocery stores. Pour the panko onto a plate. Drench the chops into the panko, dust off any excess. Slowly place one pork chop into the quart pan. Fry the pork chop for 2 minutes. During frying, keep the oil at 350F.

Place the chops on a plate lined with paper towel. Let chops cool for a few minutes. Remove the bone from the chops and cut them into strips.

To assemble, put coleslaw, tzatziki and lemon wedges (if desired) on a plate. Chops taste best when served warm. My favourite part of a pork chop is the tiny piece of meat located at the top of the L shape bone. It’s the tenderest part of the chop because it usually has a tiny bit of fat. Since I cut off the bones, I usually save the bones all to myself and pig out in the kitchen before the strips are served. Oink