Succulent pork, pan-fried in a crunchy sesame seed crust and doused in Japanese tonkatsu sauce – made with tamari, honey, and apricots, and perfect for enhancing the flavour of pork! With sides of pickled cucumber and crisp roast veg.
Sesame-Crusted Pork Fillet
Sesame-Crusted Pork Fillet
with crispy kale & a homemade apricot tonkatsu sauce
Hands on Time: 20 - 35 minutes
Overall Time: 40 - 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- Cucumber
- Dried Apricots
- Honey
- Kale
- Lemon
- Pork Fillet
- Sweet Potato
- Tamari
- White Sesame Seeds
From your kitchen:
- Oil (cooking, olive or coconut)
- Salt & Pepper
- Water
- Paper Towel
- Butter (optional)
ROAST SWEET POTATO & CRISPY KALE
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Boil the kettle. Place the apricots in a bowl, submerge in 100ml of boiling water, and set aside to rehydrate. Spread out the sweet potato chunks on a roasting tray, coat in oil, and season to taste. Roast in the hot oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and crisping up, shifting halfway. Place the shredded kale in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and some seasoning. Using your hands, gently massage the kale until softened and coated in oil. When the sweet potato has 10 minutes remaining, scatter the dressed kale over the tray and return to the oven for the remaining roasting time until crispy.
PICKLE THE CUCUMBER
Place the cucumber ribbons in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon wedge, a small splash of water, and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat and set aside to pickle until serving.
TONKATSU SAUCE
Drain the apricots, reserving the water, and roughly chop. Place a pot over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil or knob of butter. When hot, fry the chopped apricots for a minute, shifting constantly. Stir in the tamari, the honey, and the reserved apricot water. Once simmering, lower the heat slightly and allow to reduce for 8-10 minutes until the sauce is sticky and the apricots have softened completely. Remove from the heat on completion and season to taste.
WHILE THE SAUCE IS SIMMERING…
Pat the pork fillet dry with some paper towel and cut into 2 rounds of 2-3cm thick. Place the sesame seeds on a plate or shallow dish and use to coat the pork rounds, gently pressing them into the flesh so they stick. Set aside until frying.
COOK THE PORK
When the tonkatsu sauce has reached the halfway mark, place a pan over a medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the base. When hot, fry the sesame-crusted pork for 3-4 minutes per side until golden but not cooked through. Transfer to a roasting tray and pop in the oven for 4-5 minutes until cooked through to your preference. Remove from the oven on completion and allow to rest in the tray for 5 minutes before serving.
TONKATSU TIME!
Dish up some roast sweet potato and kale alongside the sesame-crusted pork. Decorate with the tangy, pickled cucumber and drizzle over the tonkatsu sauce. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side. Delish, Chef!
Dried Apricots - 20g
Sweet Potato - 250g
Kale - 50g
Cucumber - 50g
Lemon - 1
Tamari - 30ml
Honey - 15ml
Pork Fillet - 150g
White Sesame Seeds - 65ml
ROAST SWEET POTATO & CRISPY KALE
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Boil the kettle. Place the apricots in a bowl, submerge in 200ml of boiling water, and set aside to rehydrate. Spread out the sweet potato chunks on a roasting tray, coat in oil, and season to taste. Roast in the hot oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and crisping up, shifting halfway. Place the shredded kale in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and some seasoning. Using your hands, gently massage the kale until softened and coated in oil. When the sweet potato has 10 minutes remaining, scatter the dressed kale over the tray and return to the oven for the remaining roasting time until crispy.
PICKLE THE CUCUMBER
Place the cucumber ribbons in a bowl with the juice of 2 lemon wedges, a small splash of water, and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat and set aside to pickle until serving.
TONKATSU SAUCE
Drain the apricots, reserving the water, and roughly chop. Place a pot over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil or knob of butter. When hot, fry the chopped apricots for a minute, shifting constantly. Stir in the tamari, the honey, and the reserved apricot water. Once simmering, lower the heat slightly and allow to reduce for 10-12 minutes until the sauce is sticky and the apricots have softened completely. Remove from the heat on completion and season to taste.
WHILE THE SAUCE IS SIMMERING…
Pat the pork fillet dry with some paper towel and cut into 4 rounds of 2-3cm thick. Place the sesame seeds on a plate or shallow dish and use to coat the pork rounds, gently pressing them into the flesh so they stick. Set aside until frying.
COOK THE PORK
When the tonkatsu sauce has reached the halfway mark, place a pan over a medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the base. When hot, fry the sesame-crusted pork for 3-4 minutes per side until golden but not cooked through. Transfer to a roasting tray and pop in the oven for 4-5 minutes until cooked through to your preference. Remove from the oven on completion and allow to rest in the tray for 5 minutes before serving.
TONKATSU TIME!
Dish up some roast sweet potato and kale alongside the sesame-crusted pork. Decorate with the tangy, pickled cucumber and drizzle over the tonkatsu sauce. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side. Delish, Chef!
Dried Apricots - 40g
Sweet Potato - 500g
Kale - 100g
Cucumber - 100g
Lemon - 1
Tamari - 60ml
Honey - 30ml
Pork Fillet - 300g
White Sesame Seeds - 125ml
ROAST SWEET POTATO & CRISPY KALE
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Boil the kettle. Place the apricots in a bowl, submerge in 200ml of boiling water, and set aside to rehydrate. Spread out the sweet potato chunks on a roasting tray, coat in oil, and season to taste. Roast in the hot oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and crisping up, shifting halfway. Place the shredded kale in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and some seasoning. Using your hands, gently massage the kale until softened and coated in oil. When the sweet potato has 10 minutes remaining, scatter the dressed kale over the tray and return to the oven for the remaining roasting time until crispy.
PICKLE THE CUCUMBER
Place the cucumber ribbons in a bowl with the juice of 2 lemon wedges, a small splash of water, and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat and set aside to pickle until serving.
TONKATSU SAUCE
Drain the apricots, reserving the water, and roughly chop. Place a pot over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil or knob of butter. When hot, fry the chopped apricots for a minute, shifting constantly. Stir in the tamari, the honey, and the reserved apricot water. Once simmering, lower the heat slightly and allow to reduce for 10-12 minutes until the sauce is sticky and the apricots have softened completely. Remove from the heat on completion and season to taste.
WHILE THE SAUCE IS SIMMERING…
Pat the pork fillet dry with some paper towel and cut into 4 rounds of 2-3cm thick. Place the sesame seeds on a plate or shallow dish and use to coat the pork rounds, gently pressing them into the flesh so they stick. Set aside until frying.
COOK THE PORK
When the tonkatsu sauce has reached the halfway mark, place a pan over a medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the base. When hot, fry the sesame-crusted pork for 3-4 minutes per side until golden but not cooked through. Transfer to a roasting tray and pop in the oven for 4-5 minutes until cooked through to your preference. Remove from the oven on completion and allow to rest in the tray for 5 minutes before serving.
TONKATSU TIME!
Dish up some roast sweet potato and kale alongside the sesame-crusted pork. Decorate with the tangy, pickled cucumber and drizzle over the tonkatsu sauce. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side. Delish, Chef!
Dried Apricots - 40g
Sweet Potato - 500g
Kale - 100g
Cucumber - 100g
Lemon - 1
Tamari - 60ml
Honey - 30ml
Pork Fillet - 300g
White Sesame Seeds - 125ml
ROAST SWEET POTATO & CRISPY KALE
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Boil the kettle. Place the apricots in a bowl, submerge in 300ml of boiling water, and set aside to rehydrate. Spread out the sweet potato chunks on a roasting tray, coat in oil, and season to taste. Roast in the hot oven for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and crisping up, shifting halfway. Place the shredded kale on a second roasting tray with a drizzle of oil and some seasoning. Using your hands, gently massage the kale until softened and coated in oil. When the sweet potato has 10 minutes to go, pop the kale in the oven and cook for the remaining roasting time until crispy.
PICKLE THE CUCUMBER
Place the cucumber ribbons in a bowl with the juice of 4 lemon wedges, a small splash of water, and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat and set aside to pickle until serving.
TONKATSU SAUCE
Drain the apricots, reserving the water, and roughly chop. Place a pot over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil or knob of butter. When hot, fry the chopped apricots for a minute, shifting constantly. Stir in the tamari, the honey, and the reserved apricot water. Once simmering, lower the heat slightly and allow to reduce for 12-15 minutes until the sauce is sticky and the apricots have softened completely. Remove from the heat on completion and season to taste.
WHILE THE SAUCE IS SIMMERING…
Pat the pork fillets dry with some paper towel and cut into 8 rounds of 2-3cm thick. Place the sesame seeds on a plate or shallow dish and use to coat the pork rounds, gently pressing them into the flesh so they stick. Set aside until frying.
COOK THE PORK
When the tonkatsu sauce has reached the halfway mark, place a large pan over a medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the base. When hot, fry the sesame-crusted pork for 3-4 minutes per side until golden but not cooked through. You may need to do this step in batches. Transfer to a roasting tray and pop in the oven for 4-5 minutes until cooked through to your preference. Remove from the oven on completion and allow to rest in the tray for 5 minutes before serving.
TONKATSU TIME!
Dish up some roast sweet potato and kale alongside the sesame-crusted pork. Decorate with the tangy, pickled cucumber and drizzle over the tonkatsu sauce. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side. Delish, Chef!
Dried Apricots - 80g
Sweet Potato - 1kg
Kale - 200g
Cucumber - 200g
Lemon - 2
Tamari - 120ml
Honey - 60ml
Pork Fillet - 600g
White Sesame Seeds - 250ml
Woolies Products in this dish
