Crispy Mini Pork Cutlets: Perfect for Lunchboxes and Kids!
Homemade Mini Pork Cutlet Recipe: A Hit for Kids’ Snacks and Lunchboxes!
Easier than you think! Make delicious crispy and tender mini pork cutlets at home with this simple recipe.
Main Ingredients
- 300g ground pork loin
Pork Marinade
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 pinch of salt
- A dash of black pepper
- 1-2 small soju cups of soju (for deodorizing)
Coating Ingredients
- Breadcrumbs
- Eggs
- Frying powder
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 pinch of salt
- A dash of black pepper
- 1-2 small soju cups of soju (for deodorizing)
Coating Ingredients
- Breadcrumbs
- Eggs
- Frying powder
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the marinade to enhance the flavor of your mini pork cutlets. In a bowl with 300g of ground pork loin, add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, a pinch of salt, and a dash of black pepper. Pour in 1-2 small soju cups of soju; this helps to eliminate any gamey smell from the pork, resulting in a cleaner taste.
Step 2
Add the prepared marinade ingredients to the ground pork and mix gently with your hands until well combined. As you knead and mix, the pork mixture will develop a sticky, cohesive texture. This step is crucial for achieving a pleasant bite in your cutlets.
Step 3
We’ll make our own breadcrumbs to ensure the perfect crispiness for the cutlets. While store-bought breadcrumbs are an option, making them at home yields a wonderfully moist and tender coating. Today, we’ll use bread slices to create our breadcrumbs. (If using store-bought breadcrumbs, you can skip this step.)
Step 4
To make the breadcrumbs, we’ve prepared some bread slices. I decided to make them from scratch because store-bought ones sometimes seem to burn too quickly on the outside when fried. We used a total of 4 slices of bread. To achieve fine breadcrumbs, it’s best to process them in batches; dividing the slices into two groups and grinding them separately will give you a much smoother result.
Step 5
After grinding them in the blender, you’ll have these moist and fine breadcrumbs. Homemade breadcrumbs adhere more evenly to the cutlets and contribute to a satisfyingly crisp texture.
Step 6
For the final coating ingredient, try using frying powder. Instead of regular flour or pancake mix, frying powder will make your pork cutlets extra crispy when fried. It truly enhances the crispiness of the coating.
Step 7
Now it’s time to shape the pork and coat it. Form the marinated pork into bite-sized, flattened patties (mini size). Then, coat each patty thoroughly in the following order: frying powder → beaten egg → breadcrumbs. Aim for a thin, even coating rather than a thick one.
Step 8
If you plan to store the coated mini pork cutlets for later, here’s how to do it. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet, arrange the cutlets on it, then place another sheet of parchment paper on top before adding more cutlets. This prevents them from sticking together. Any cutlets you don’t plan to eat immediately can be frozen for about a week. Refrigerated cutlets are best consumed within 3 days.
Step 9
Once the pork cutlets are golden brown and fried, place them on paper towels to drain excess oil. This ensures they remain delightfully crispy without being greasy.
Step 10
Arrange the drained mini pork cutlets attractively on a plate to complete the dish! I only plated them simply this time as I wasn’t planning to eat them immediately, so it looks a bit bare. Presenting them nicely will make them look even more appealing.
Step 11
These homemade mini pork cutlets are also a fantastic side dish for children’s lunchboxes in the morning! A hearty and delicious lunchbox will surely make your kids very happy.
