schnitzel: if you like crunchy food like i do, this is an easy dish to prepare

schnit·zel

n.

A thin cutlet of veal, usually seasoned, that is dipped in batter and fried.

[German, from Middle High German snitzel, diminutive of sniz, slice, from snitzen, to carve]

(Cookery) a thin slice of meat, esp veal See also Wiener schnitzel

[German: cutlet, from schnitzen to carve, schnitzeln to whittle

i know that everyone says to avoid fired foods and breading and batters, but if eaten in moderation, and if prepared in good oil, and eaten immediately, treat yourself to some schnitzel.

you can prepare this dish in the classic way with with veal - but pork, chicken, turkey or even lamb and beef can also be used. 
 

when i was working for chef rudy hilfiker in his connecticut restaurant that specialized in swiss cuisine, this was by far the most popular item on the menu.  he had a sous chef who worked days as an instructor at the cia, that would be the culinary institute of america, not the cia in langley, va. :-o between the two of us we were hard pressed at ties to keep yup with schnitzel production during meal time. because foods that are breaded and in this manner suffer incredibly indignities if prepared in advance of frying, we were only able to pound out and tenderize the veal before hand, and never were we to bread it until it was just going into the pan.

this restaurant sat 70 people at capacity, and we did 2 fully sold out seatings a night, 7 nights a week. with out fail, 140 pax a day, guaranteed. despite knowing that this would happen, rudy forbid use to bread schnitzel until the orders came in. but then, that is one very big reason that we were at capacity 365 nights a year. among all the other great dishes he had on his menu.

besides these great items that we prepared, every guest also had their choice of all they could eat of his fantastic (fresh) authentic rosti potatoes, buttered carrots, green beans almondine, spinach souffle and braised romaine lettuce (a simply elegant side veg).

we served so much food at this place that i had to peel and HAND cut no less than 50 pounds of carrots a day and snap no less than a bushel of string beans, too. and the day before we would steam, and then peel while hot, 100 pounds of potatoes (the linked image is 50 lbs. only) for rosti, but this is why they came in droves from as far away as nyc.

You will need:

• a meat mallet or tenderizing mallet as some call it (use the pebbled side and try to swing it level so as not to hit the meat with the edge only!)
• the meat, as portions as you see fit
• all purpose flour for dredging
• eggs, beaten
• bread crumbs, either traditional (home made or store bought) or the japanese panko crumbs that seem to be all the rage the last few years
• demi-glace, gravy or brown sauce, what ever you have on hand (you could use a cream or supreme sauce too if that is what you like, but it is in no way traditional)
• the garnishes shown in the picture below as well as a starch and veg of choice

How you do it:

1. as always, do the best shopping as you can, and gather everything together.
2. if you have not had the local butcher/grocer prepare your meat or poultry for you then thinly slice your veal or pork into escalopes. if using chicken breast and they are rather large and thick, filet them in to tow pieces each, the same goes for turkey. i like to use a boneless skinless chicken leg and thigh piece (one of my favorite cuts of poultry). this is not so easy to do and you can easily cut yourself trying. so if you wish to use this cut have buy it already prepared like this. (i happen to think that this is the most flavorful choice of them all if veal is off the menu. chicken prepared this way is actually called bachandle.)
3. sandwich the thin pieces between sheets of saran, bakers paper or recycled plastic shopping bags (my favorite). 
4. using a meat tenderizing mallet gently pound the pieces on both sides. if only on one side the pieces will have a tendency to retract back and also cup when they are cooked. if you are using chicken breasts that tend to be thicker at one end, pound that area a bit more. the object is to achieve a nice consistently thin (.05 cm) piece so it will fry quickly and evenly. the meat must be fully cooked when the bread crumbs are or you will not like what you are putting into your mouth, either raw meat, or burnt breading.
5. once the pieces are all pounded spread them out on so that they are all just touching edges. season with salt and pepper and also a bit of powdered mustard. you could also use a good paprika if you want.
6. IMPORTANT: prepare everything else that you will need and set aside to keep warm. the starch, the veggies, the sauce and the garnishes. once you start cooking the meat you will have no time for ANYTHING else.
7. then dredge each piece in the flour. Note: i use a plastic bag for this. it gets the job doe well and doesn't get flour all over the kitchen. eliminates cleaning a bowl and recycles a plastic grocery bag ta-boot.)
8. next wash the floured pieces in the well beaten eggs. if you use a bowl large enough you can get more than a few pieces into the egg at a time, this allows the flour to absorb the egg quite well and thus make the final step of breading a more complete one.
9. i then take a large bowl or pan (or another plastic bag) which i have previously filled with the desired style of bread crumbs and put one piece at a time into the crumbs. i then make certain that the crumbs have fully covered the piece of meat, press the crumbs ever so lightly into the egg wash to make certain it has adhered. and then repeat until all the pieces are breaded. you really do not want to do this any more than 5 or 10 minutes before frying. IMPORTANT NOTE: how you perform the breading is a major part of your success with this dish. 100% coverage is mandatory to avoid any of the oil getting under the breading and making the pieces greasy and soggy, YUCK! if you press to hard on the pieces the breading will not be able to puff up and away from the meat creating a casing rather than a coating. which will all effect the texture, the taste and the appearance of the finished dish.
10. using a heavy bottomed deep pan (not one with a non-stick finish PLEASE), or one of those nifty counter top fryers that are available for home use these days, and the best oil you can buy (typically not olive oil, but you can if you feel you must) is a quick and easy way to prepare this dish. however, the traditional method, and the tastiest method is to use butter ( or butter with a bit of oil added to up the flash point a bit) in a thin bottomed non-stick fry pan.  this second method requires expertise, a fast hand and if you are making more than 1 or 2 portions, a bit of a hassle. but the taste will be oh so much richer.
11. bring whatever shortening you are using up to a temperature that when tested with some loose breadcrumbs tells you that you are hot enough to fry, but not so hot as to burn your food.
12. fry the pieces of meat until they are golden brown, remove them to a wire rack or plate and repeat until all the pieces are done.
13. next put an amount of the sauce onto the plate, place the prepared meat on top of that, and then add whatever else you will be serving with the dish.
14. serve and enjoy!

The Usual Afterthoughts and Pointers: in the photos below you will see 2 versions. classic schnitzel ala holstein is garnished with a sunny side up egg and a slice of lemon topped with anchovy and capers. just sublime. the other picture shows a version i made one night because i just happen to love hollandaise sauce and there was some sitting on the counter in front of me and i could not resist.

no need to put sauce on top, this will ruin the crispy effect. if you like a lot of sauce either put it under the meat or in a side dish for dipping. 

rosti potatoes are perfect with this as is spaetzle. mash would be second choice and i would not be adverse to broad egg noodles either.  carrots is the classic side, but any veg will do. in the photo here i have sauteed the spaetzle noodles in butter with shallots, diced carrots, green peas and chopped parsley.

holstein in the traditional style with a side of veggie spaetzle
ratatouille and mash

fried egg and the lemon, anchovy and caper garnish
heavenly!

here it is with a bit of hollandaise and a strip of 'chovey.

we use a lot of lime in thailand as good lemons are not always available.

moo krob / crispy pork: gift from the gods

ever since i was going to chinese restaurants as a child i have loved crispy pork. stir fried, in rich brown stews with seared garlic, vegetables and soft tofu, or simply with a side of rice and some chili sauce. here in thailand it is known as moo krob หมูกรอบ . moo = pork and krob = crispy. it is such a simple food. air-dried pork belly (what the thais call moo sam chan, three layered pork) which is then deep-fried until golden brown and super crispy. in chinese: siew yoke. the recipe is a bit different though. which ever style yo use, i am sure you will fall in love with it if you haven't already.

when i was in new york city working as a private chef i was asked to make a lot of asian food. i knew that moo krob would be a crowd pleaser, and i wanted to stir-fry it with khana or as the chinese say gailan. this is a dish known as phak khana mu krop ผักคะน้าหมูกรอบ. rather than buy it from a vendor i decided to make my own. i found a great little chinese butcher in china town near the corner of bayard and mulberry streets @ 69 mulberry street.

map to the chinese butcher shop @ 69 mulberry street

this is also where i purchased super fresh, over-sized fresh hams to make shang hai ham from. very friendly guy. he was so happy to see a gwai lo who was into trying to cook authentic chinese food. he was always helpful and always gave me a deal. he would also cut my meat for me personally rather than have someone else in the store do it. chinatown, and that kind of person, is one of the things i miss about nyc, and not a whole lot else.

but, i digress as always.

most recipes for crispy pork entail using a rub or marinade (see recipe links above). i have never done that. i simply scrub the meat under cold running water, air dry it with a fan or in front of an air conditioner if it is a very hot day, and then either deep fry the entire piece, or cut it into strip and fry them separately. cutting it into strips means that the pieces get crispy on 4 sides instead of two. the end result is this:

click here to see close-up pix of this beautiful piece of culinary wonder.

allow a few seconds for the animation to load.

how could anyone resist such temptation? makes a great additive to fried rice, and also goes great on a picnic. cut into bite sized pieces and served with the chili sauce it would be great for a cocktail party snack.

tesco-lotus food court in the on nut store (pronounced: on-nuch)

all over asia the phenomenon of food courts has preceded the trend in america by decades. they have honed and perfected this venue for foodies of all price ranges and classes, the ones at tesco-lotus, like so many others, are for the average joe who is shopping, gets hungry, and just wants something basic to eat. like all others, you go to a centralized cashier, get a tesco-lotus debit card (it used to be in-store monopoly money), and just cruise the line until you see something you like. the place where i had the duck noodles in paragon is the same, just a very high end one. the portions tend to be very small at the tesco-lotus court so i figured i would have a combination of 2 dishes. chinese roast duck fried rice "kao-phaat ped-yang" ข้าวผัดเป็ดย่าง with a side order of braised pork knuckle with out the accompanying rice "khao kaa moo" ข้าวขาหมู.



i also got myself an iced coffee form the drink dispensing counter. that is my debit card on the tray next to the plate. the whole meal cost me 90 baht, or just under $3.00 usd.

the sauce that the pork leg is cooked in is seasoned with star anise and it is quite aromatic and tasty. both the pork and the duck are very tender and falling of the bone. not a bad deal if you ask me.

here is a picture of the rig they use for people to get their utensils from.


notice the hot water bath in the upper left corner. this is there (i think) to lull people into thinking that if they dip their fork and spoon into it, it will be cleaner. why would they not just do a better job in the back where they wash the stuff is what comes to my mind. and the fact is, they did. but, some folks think it is necessary. go figure.

i always laugh to myself when i see folks rubbing the spoon and fork with a piece of tissue before they eat, like that will help. all they did was just move whatever bacteria may be on the utensil around on it, they surely did not remove it.