Tonteki (トンテキ) is a Japanese pork loin steak served in a savory and citrusy sauce. This quick and easy recipe takes just 15 minutes from start to finish! Inspired by the Japanese drama Midnight Diner.

Tonteki, Japanese Pork Steak with cabbage and tomato salad on a plate.

Tonteki was featured on the popular Japanese TV program called “Shinya Shokudo (深夜食堂)” or “Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories” which is now available on Netflix.

Episode of Tonteki from Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories

Midnight Diner features Japanese dishes that are more representative of home-cooked recipes than Japanese restaurant menus in the US. If you’re interested in Japanese home-cooked meals, you will enjoy this show as much as I do!

Tonteki’s episode is Season 1, Episode 3 on Netflix.

Tonteki, Japanese Pork Steak with cabbage and tomato salad on a plate.

Tonteki – Japan’s Regional Food 

One of the characteristics I love about Japan is each region has its own unique culture and well-known food made with local ingredients. These regions are not too far apart, and sometimes even by taking just a 20-minute train ride, you can experience very different food (e.g. Osaka and Kyoto). I love traveling in Japan and visiting new places to experience local special food, arts & crafts,s and such. This is probably why we have a culture of buying local souvenirs or gifts wherever we go to bring back home to family and friends.

Until I watched Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, I had never seen or had Tonteki (トンテキ). Tonteki is a regional food in Mie Prefecture in central Japan. That’s where Tenmusu (Shrimp Tempura Rice Ball) originated from as well!

Tonteki, Japanese Pork Steak with cabbage and tomato salad on a plate.

What’s Tonteki?

Tonteki is one of the simpler dishes featured in Midnight Diner; it is pan-seared pork loin steak. Ton (豚) means pork in Japanese, as you may already be familiar with Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) and Tonkotsu (pork broth), and -teki (テキ) comes from suteeki (ステーキ) which means steak in Japanese. For those of you who study/read Japanese, Tonteki トンテキ is sometimes written as とんテキ、豚てき、とんてき、豚テキ, with the different combination of hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

The original Tonteki was introduced at the Chinese restaurant Lai Lai Ken (來來憲らいらいけん) in Yokkaichi (四日市) after WWII. The pork loin steak is cooked with thick garlic soy sauce and served with shredded cabbage.

Different style of Tonteki on plates.

This dish is also known as Glove-yaki (グローブ焼き) as the pork loin with slits resembles baseball gloves. These slits are added so that it’s easier to eat with chopsticks and it also helps cook the meat faster without overcooking it.

What Makes It Tonteki??

According to Yokkaichi Tonteki Association (how cool they have an association for this dish!), in order to call a dish “Tonteki”, it has to have the following four requirements:

  1. Served with dark rich savory sauce
  2. Thick pork loin is used
  3. Garnished with garlic
  4. Served with thinly shredded cabbage
tonteki_ryouri
Image from Yokkaichi Tonteki Association

However, as you see in today’s dish, the master (the main actor) from Midnight Diner made Tonteki that’s slightly different from the original style Tonteki. As this series on JOC is a recreation of the master’s recipe, I followed how he made it in this episode. Maybe when I have a chance to try Tonteki in Yokkaichi, I’ll re-create the original version. My family loved this simple dish and I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

If you want to check out other Midnight Diner Tokyo Stories – Season 1 Recipes, read Netflix Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories – Season 1 Recipes.

Tonteki, Japanese Pork Steak with cabbage and tomato salad on a plate.

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Tonteki (Japanese Pork Steak) トンテキ | Easy Japanese Tonteki (Japanese Pork Steak) トンテキ | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.comRecipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Tonteki

4.81 from 31 votes
Tonteki (トンテキ) is a Japanese pork loin steak served in a savory and citrusy sauce. This quick and easy recipe takes just 15 minutes from start to finish! Inspired by the Japanese drama Midnight Diner.

Video

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ onion (with core intact for grating)
  • 2 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick) (½ lb, 227 g)
  • tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil

For the Sauce

For the Garnish (optional)

  • ¼ head green cabbage
  • 1 tomato
  • parsley
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions
 

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Tonteki Ingredients
  • Over a small bowl, grate ¼ onion (use about half of it) and set aside.
    Tonteki 1
  • Shred ¼ head green cabbage into thin slices (I’m using a Japanese cabbage shredder) and cut 1 tomato into wedges.
    Tonteki 2
  • Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine 3 Tbsp ponzu, 3 Tbsp sake, and ½ Tbsp soy sauce. Whisk it all together.
    Tonteki 3
  • In order to sear the meat perfectly, pat dry 2 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick) with paper towels. Removing the moisture will prevent the meat from steaming.
    Tonteki 4
  • Make a couple of slits on the connective tissue between the meat and the fat on both sides of the meat. Red meat and fat have different elasticities and will shrink and expand at different rates when cooked. These slits allow the pork loin chops to stay nice and flat while cooking instead of curling up.
    Tonteki 5
  • Season one side of the meat with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper (the sauce is salty, so you can skip the salt here if you‘d like).
    Tonteki 6
  • Coat the meat with 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) and remove the excess flour.
    Tonteki 7

To Cook

  • Heat the frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. When the pan is hot, add the pork loin chops. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Do not flip until the bottom is nicely golden brown. If you‘re preparing more than 2 pieces, cook them in batches. Give some space between the meat to ensure nice searing and prevent steaming the meat. Browning the meat gives an important flavor component. The meat should be flat to get evenly golden brown, and that‘s why making slits is important in step 6.
    Tonteki 8
  • If you see protein coming out from the meat, you can remove it and wipe off the excess oil (optional).
    Tonteki 9
  • Add the sauce and grated onion to the pan.
    Tonteki 10
  • Pour the sauce over the meat with a spoon and coat the meat well.
    Tonteki 11-2

To Serve

  • If you eat with chopsticks, transfer the meat to a cutting board and slice it into bite-size pieces. Serve the Tonteki with the shredded cabbage and tomatoes. Pour the extra sauce over the cabbage, if you‘d like. Garnish with parsley (optional).
    knife cutting a piece of work and pouring sauce

To Store

  • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

Nutrition

Calories: 220 kcal · Carbohydrates: 15 g · Protein: 16 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 37 mg · Sodium: 577 mg · Potassium: 588 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 6 g · Vitamin A: 624 IU · Vitamin C: 51 mg · Calcium: 59 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: pork steak
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4.81 from 31 votes (20 ratings without comment)
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Definitely going to try this. Looks and sounds so good.
Are they any other recipes that use ponzu sauce? The ‘recipes using ponzu’ link on the ponzu sauce page doesn’t go anywhere

Hi Jung, Thank you for your kind words and for bringing this to our attention. We’ll make the necessary changes to the link.
In the meantime, here is the result using the search box at the top right corner and type “Ponzu.”
https://www.justonecookbook.com/#search/q=ponzu
We hope you find your favorite dish!☺️

Got rave reviews. Everybody loved the sauce5 stars

Hello Nami. I was wondering could I use pork loin tenderloin and cut pieces off instead of pre-cut steaks? Or is it totally different? I love your recipes. I have tried a few of them and have enjoyed all of them.

Thank you for your reply! I made it and it worked! It was delicious! 🙂

Looks great! How long do you cook the pork after you add the sauce and onions?

This was DELICIOUS! I watched the episode right before I cooked 🙂 It was fast and easy and my kids INHALED it.

Yes Nami sis. Haha I have also been watching and have made two recipes from it. But now i see it on your blog as well. I’m so happy as I really also like that drama alot. I love your recipes and always come to see new ones you add. Well done. 💕😍🤩5 stars

This has now become a regular in our house, we absolutely love it!5 stars

I am a big fan of Midnight Diner. This is one of the more intriguing episodes, as well. Your recipe caught the magic of the program. My whole family loves this dish, and it is so simple to make that it is often our go-to meal when my son has a soccer game or my daughter has softball or choir practice in the evening. Thanks so much for this and the many other recipes; we are big fans.

Thanks for posing the recipe! My husband and I cooked it together and it was simple and delicious! Excellent recipe!5 stars

I love your website. It’s very educational and informative.5 stars

I spent my summers in Mie (Matsusaka City) during grade school but had no idea that Tonteki was a regional dish. Until I read your blog I thought it was everyday food since I never ventured outside the area!

Have you seen “Samurai no Gourmet” on Netflix with Takenaka Naoto? If not, I think you will really enjoy it as each episode is focused around a different food.

I saw this YouTube this morning, made it for dinner tonight. It’s sooooo good!! Thank you! Signed up here AND subscribed on YouTube. Can’t wait to try the next thing I saw . . .

Last night I watched the movie Shinya Shokudo to have a preview and I loved it. Thanks for letting me know about this serie. I will start it soon!

This looks easy and delicious..thanks

Curious, did you double sauce recipe or not???

Am going to try to make this if I can get the Ponzu at my local Asian market!