Japanese-Style Pork and Vegetable Rolls (Butaniku no Yasaimaki)

Last Saturday, after a frustrating and ultimately fruitless four-hour search for tuk trey, tuk prahoc, and kroeung that involved driving around half of Oahu and even calling a Cambodian restaurant, I was left with no energy to cook dinner, too many random ingredients I didn't have the imagination to deal with, and little appetite. Luckily, my wife had been out shoe shopping for much of the day and came home in a good mood. (Shoe shopping often has this effect on her.) She was also hungry. Seeing that I'd turned into a crabby blob in her absence and wasn't about to budge from the couch, she took it upon herself to dig through our refrigerator to see what she could whip up.

For the record, let me state that I almost never get in bad moods. I'm one of those types who's always happy and optimistic (but not annoyingly so). On this day, however, I slipped over to the dark side. But once I heard the sounds of energetic chopping and popping, sizzling grease, I instantly perked up and got off my butt to see what was cooking in the kitchen. At a glance, my bad mood disappeared, and when I also saw that our fridge still had two bottles of Kirin Beer left I rejoiced at the sudden turn of events.

The following recipe is really very easy. Even I, unschooled in any sort of serious Japanese cooking, could whip this up without incident. This is similar to the tonkatsu dishes one normally comes across in Japanese restaurants, but it's technically not tonkatsu at all. Also, while the addition of veggies are healthy, this dish is definitely worth serving with a green salad or some sliced tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 medium green pepper, sliced thinly

16-20 green beans, halved

1 carrot, slivered into 2-in. pieces

1 lb. lean, thin-cut pork

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup Japanese panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation

1. Cut the vegetables as described above (and pictured below). 

2. Collect a small portion of vegetables and wrap with one strip of pork at a slight angle to cover them.

3. Sprinkle the rolls with flour, then dip them in a bowl of beaten eggs that has a dash of salt and pepper mixed in, and then coat with panko.

4. Place pork and veggie rolls in hot oil, up to four at a time (or as your pan or wok or frier allows).

5. When browned (after 5-7 mins; you'll know when they're done by the smell of cooked pork wafting into your face) remove from oil and drain on paper towel or newspaper.

6. Serve hot with Bull-Dog tonkatsu sauce and a dollop of Dijon spicy mustard for dipping.

Oh, and if you happen to have an extra lime on hand, feel free to give it a squeeze over your hot butaniku no yasaimaki.