It was the Christmas season in Vienna, Austria; the weather was freezing cold and windy. But it was there that we ate our first authentic Schnitzel. The guy ordered his plate of Schnitzel and gosh was it humongous (I meant the piece of meat). Most Schnitzels are actually, unlike mine in this attempt.
But what I remembered most about Austria wasn’t its Schnitzel (although it tasted really really great) but its Christmas markets. There was this particular row of stalls in the market right at the square where we stayed that sold piggy stuffed toys. Pigs of all shapes and sizes, decorative piggy ceramic figurines, pigs that are exactly like the ones I have at home! Without much hesitation, I bought one small piggy stuffed toy back with me. I have regretted ever since then because now I felt like I should have bought at least two more back with me. Or ten more.
Cooking Schnitzels makes me reminisce about those good ole’ times at the piggy stalls; eating them gives me the impulse to fly back to Vienna right away. I really should cook Schnitzels more frequently now, so that my simple wish could come true on an impulse soon.
Ingredients:
- Oil: 2 cups for shallow frying
- Pork loin: 4 thick slices (about 200g each)
- Salt: to taste
- Ground blackpepper: to taste
- Flour mixture: 1/2 cup plain flour + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp ground blackpepper
- Egg: 2, lightly beaten
- Breadcrumb: 1.5 cups
- Butter: 2 tbsp
- Brown mushroom: 150g, sliced
- Plain flour: 2 tbsp
- White wine: 1 tbsp
- Water: 1.5 cups
- Chicken stock cube: 1/2
- Worcestershire sauce: 1 tbsp
- Heavy cream: 1 tbsp
- Lemon: 2 slices
Method:
- Heat oil in wok.
- Pound pork loins between plastic sheets till 1/4″ thick.
- Season loins with salt and blackpepper.
- Dip into 1/2 cup flour mixture, followed by egg and then breadcrumbs. Shake excess off.
- Fry 2 loins in shallow oil each time for 2-3min per side. Set aside on paper towel.
- Heat butter in saucepan. Add mushrooms and fry 2-3min till soft.
- Add 2 tbsp plain flour, white wine, water, Worcestershire sauce and cream. Simmer for 1min.
- Remove loins from paper towels and plate them. Spoon mushroom sauce over them and serve hot with lemon slices.
Tricks:
- Prepare the pork loins only just before you are going to fry them. If left overnight in the fridge prepared, they will become dry and tough after frying.
- Spoon leftover breadcrumb + egg mixture into the hot oil to deep fry them. They make for very nice snacks by themselves!
- Use chicken breast meat to make chicken schnitzels – they taste just as great and crispy yummy!
Disclaimer:
- This recipe was kindly adapted from Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen’s ‘Jägerschnitzel (Pork Cutlets)‘. I didn’t manage to get large pieces of loins at the supermarket this time round, which is why my Schnitzels looked rather overwhelmed by my large white plate!
Serving:
2 persons