Ingredients
Pork
- 4pork loin steaks
- about 180 g each
- 2 teaspoonssalt
- 1 teaspoonblack pepper
To coat
- 100 gplain flour
- 2eggs, beaten
- 150 gfine breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoonpaprika, optional
To fry
- 60 gbutter
- 3 tablespoonsoil
To serve
- boiled potatoes with dill
- sauerkraut or pickled beetroot
- soured cream
- lemon wedges
Directions
- Flour, egg and crumbs in that order. Flour dries the surface so egg clings. Preparing the pork takes a moment. Trim any thick fat from the edges. Cut small slits in any remaining fat rim. Cutting through it stops the curling. Lay a steak between two sheets of cling film. Beat it with a mallet or a rolling pin.
- Work from the centre outwards. Aim for about half a centimetre thick. Use a flat mallet face rather than a spiked one. Beat with a glancing outward stroke. Do not beat it into shreds at all. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Salt draws moisture out if left too long. Put the flour in one shallow dish. Beat the eggs in a second dish. Put the breadcrumbs in a third. Add paprika to the crumbs if you like. Set them all out in that order. Dredge a steak through the flour. Shake off all of the excess flour. Dip it fully in the beaten egg. Let all of the excess drip off.
- Press it firmly into the breadcrumbs. Turn it and press the other side. Press the breadcrumbs on firmly. Shake off any that is not stuck. Set the coated steaks on a rack. Let them sit for fifteen minutes. Frying them needs butter and oil together. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Add the butter to the pan too.
- Butter alone burns at frying temperature. Oil raises the smoke point considerably. Butter gives the flavour and the colour. Cooking them takes only minutes. Lay one steak into the hot pan.
- Fry it for about three minutes. Do not move it during that time. Turn it over once using tongs. Fry the other side for three minutes. Judging when they are done matters. Cut into one to check the first. There should be no pink at all.
- Lift them out onto a wire rack. A rack keeps the coating crisp underneath. Keep them warm in a low warm oven. Serving them is done immediately. Set one on each of the warmed plates. Serve boiled potatoes with dill alongside. Add a spoonful of soured cream. It keeps a day if refrigerated.
Technique
- Breaded fried cutlets run across the region as Austrian and German schnitzel and their Estonian and Lithuanian relatives; Latvia calls its version karbonade, from the French carbonnade.
- Beating breaks down the muscle fibres to tenderise the meat and makes it thin and even so it cooks through in minutes, which is what keeps lean pork loin juicy.
- Flour dries the surface so the egg clings, egg glues the crumbs on and crumbs give the crust, so skipping the flour makes the whole coating slide off in the pan.
Substitutions
- Chicken or veal are coated and fried exactly the same way.
- Butter and oil together are needed, since butter alone burns at frying temperature.
Variations
- Some cooks add paprika or dried herbs to the breadcrumbs.
- A version topped with cheese and baked is served in some canteens.
- Boiled dill potatoes are the standard accompaniment.
History
A Latvian canteen and home standard descended from the same schnitzel tradition as its Baltic neighbours.
Frequently asked questions
What is Karbonāde?
Karbonāde is a main from Latvia: pork loin beaten thin, breaded and fried, served with potatoes. A Latvian canteen and home standard descended from the same schnitzel tradition as its Baltic neighbours.
How long does Karbonāde take to make?
Karbonāde takes 25 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Karbonāde?
Yes, within limits. Chicken or veal are coated and fried exactly the same way. Butter and oil together are needed, since butter alone burns at frying temperature.
What is the most important thing to get right in Karbonāde?
Work from the centre outwards. Aim for about half a centimetre thick. Use a flat mallet face rather than a spiked one. Beat with a glancing outward stroke. Do not beat it into shreds at all. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
