It’s been so hot lately, and I wanted to make something hearty to help us recharge — that’s how I ended up making this dish!
This curry is inspired by the one my family used to make, with minced meat and eggplant. It doesn’t have too many ingredients, so it pairs perfectly with pork cutlet. It turned out incredibly delicious — my husband took a bite and said, “This is too good!”
Ingredients
| Steamed rice | 2 bowls |
| For the curry | |
| Eggplant | 1 |
| Onion | 1/2 |
| Ground beef and pork (mixed) | 200g |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
| Japanese curry roux | 1 box (I used a mix of Java Curry (spicy) and Premiumn Golden Curry (medium spicy)) |
| Water | As instructed on the curry roux box (e.g., 1000ml) |
| For homemade pork cutlet (tonkatsu) | |
| Pork loin (cutlet-style) | 2 slices |
| Salt | 5 shakes |
| Black pepper | 5 shakes |
| All-purpose flour | as needed (for coating) |
| Egg | 1 |
| Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) | as needed (for coating) |
| Rice oil or regular vegetable oil | enough for deep-frying |
How to Make
1⃣ Make the Curry
Cut the eggplant into half-moons and soak in water for 3 minutes. Thinly slice the onion.
2⃣ Heat olive oil in a pot, then sauté the onion and dried-off eggplant. Once the eggplant is lightly cooked, remove and set aside. Add the minced meat and continue cooking.
3⃣ Add water (as instructed on the curry roux box) and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Skim off any scum that rises to the top.
4⃣ Break in the curry roux and stir until dissolved. Return the eggplant to the pot.
Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
5⃣ Make the Pork Cutlet
Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Poke it all over with a fork and make small slits between the fat and meat to prevent curling. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
6⃣ Coat the pork in flour → beaten egg → panko, in that order.
Apply the panko firmly for a crispy finish.
7⃣ Fry in 180°C (356°F) oil for about 3 minutes per side (for 1–2 cm thick cuts).
Keep an eye on the oil temperature — if it drops, the coating can get soggy.
8⃣ Let the cutlets rest on a rack to drain oil, then slice into bite-sized pieces.
Remove any leftover crumbs from the oil before frying the next piece.
Since I was deep-frying, I splurged a little on rice oil — and it was so worth it!
The cutlet didn’t feel greasy at all. In fact, I drank a glass of water afterward and noticed there was no oil film left on the glass!
Because curry roux already contains oil, using rice oil made the whole dish taste lighter and cleaner.
We ended up eating three cutlets between the two of us!
Cleanup was also easier — I used a solidifying agent to dispose of the used oil, and even washing dishes afterward felt less greasy.
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If you try making it, tag me — I’d love to see your creations!
