The Melty Cheese Upgrade Your Pork Katsu Needs

In its traditional form, pork katsu is a Japanese comfort meal that relies on minimal ingredients to make a crispy, flavorful dish similar to cutlets we often consume here in the United States. Out of all of the ingredients, panko breadcrumbs are essential so the exterior provides optimal crunch — but there's a less-conventional ingredient you can stuff inside to contrast that texture with gooeyness. Haven't guessed it, yet? We're hinting at stuffing your next homemade pork katsu with cheese for the perfect upgrade.

There are a couple of reasons why breaking the rules and stuffing pork katsu with cheese is worth the effort. First, there's the textural contrast between the crispy panko breadcrumbs on the outside and the melty cheese on the inside. The cheese will also add a layer of richness to the thin pieces of fried meat, amping up the flavor profiles. The cheese-stuffed katsu has become popular in recent years in Japan and Korea — so why not try the upgrade if the very places where the dish originated are doing so? When it comes to the filling, some cheeses melt better than others in part due to fat and moisture content. That means you should use a cheese like mozzarella, Gruyere, or even provolone for this upgrade.

You can add cheese to any katsu recipe, including our original crispy pork loin tonkatsu recipe created by Rika Hoffman. Follow your preferred recipe until you've pounded each piece of meat to around ⅛-inch in thickness, then it's time to add the cheese. For every eight ounces of pork, use around two ounces of cheese. Place the cheese in the center of the pork, fold the ends, then roll it up to enclose the cheese between the meat. You can also butterfly the pork, add thin cheese in the middle, then close the pieces on top of each other. Make sure there isn't cheese sticking out or it might create a mess in the pan. After each pork katsu is stuffed with cheese, dredge and bread according to your recipe.

To make sure the katsu cooks through and the cheese melts without seeping out of each piece, make sure the oil is heated over medium-high heat. Depending on the thickness and how many pieces are in the pan, it should only take five minutes to cook the pork and melt the cheese. You can serve katsu dishes stuffed with cheese like any other variety of the dish, but a garnish of fresh herbs will cut through the richness of the dish. On the side, consider green cabbage salad to introduce freshness, steamed rice, and a sauce like tonkatsu to turn the cheese-stuffed pork katsu into a complete meal.