by Melissa Clark
I had always thought that schnitzel came in one flavor — veal — until a trip to Vienna several years ago set me straight.
The plate of schnitzel I was served in a restaurant there looked like the usual fare, but the meat had a fuller, brawnier flavor that was unmistakably porcine. I became an instant convert, and sought out the crisp, breaded pork cutlets wherever I could for the rest of that trip.
Back in New York, pork schnitzel is harder to come by, at least in its Viennese iteration. So when the craving hits, I head to a Japanese restaurant and devour tonkatsu, deep-fried pork cutlets served with a thick, sweet and piquant Japanese Worcestershire sauce.
Thanks to a coating of fluffy, brittle panko instead of regular bread crumbs, tonkatsu (or pork katsu) is crunchier than most pork schnitzel, and the accompanying sauce gives it a jolt of tangy flavor.
Pork katsu is easy to make at home, especially if you borrow some techniques from its schnitzel sibling.
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