Katsudon
Katsudon is a Japanese diner classic: a panko-breaded pork cutlet, sliced, simmered with onion in a sweet-savoury dashi sauce and covered with beaten egg, all on a bowl of hot rice. The egg should be barely set, still slightly runny — it binds the crust to the rice. The dish takes minutes if the rice is already cooked. In Japan students eat it before exams, because “katsu” also means “to win”.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Rice 25 min
- Breading 10 min
- Frying the cutlets 15 min
- Simmering with egg 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneCook the rice
Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs almost clear. Add 280 ml of water, bring to the boil, cover and cook over low heat for 12 minutes, then leave covered for 10 minutes.
Ingredients: 200 g Japanese short-grain rice
Prepare the meat
Nick the edges of the pork slices in a few places so they do not curl, beat them lightly to 1 cm and season with salt and pepper.
Ingredients: 300 g boneless pork loin, 1.5 cm slices · 3 tbsp plain flour · 1 pcs egg for breading · 60 g panko · 200 ml rapeseed oil for frying · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Bread the cutlets
Coat the cutlets in turn in flour, beaten egg and panko, pressing the crumbs on with your palm.
Ingredients: 300 g boneless pork loin, 1.5 cm slices · 3 tbsp plain flour · 1 pcs egg for breading · 60 g panko · 200 ml rapeseed oil for frying · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Flour, egg, panko — the classic order.Fry the cutlets
Heat the oil in a pan to 175°C (a panko crumb should sizzle at once) and fry the cutlets for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and 70°C at the thickest point. Fry them one at a time if the pan is small. Drain on a rack and never leave the hot oil unattended — if it catches fire, never use water, cover the pan and turn off the hob.
Ingredients: 300 g boneless pork loin, 1.5 cm slices · 3 tbsp plain flour · 1 pcs egg for breading · 60 g panko · 200 ml rapeseed oil for frying · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Golden, crisp, drained on a rack.Make the sauce
In a wide pan (about 22 cm) combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook 5 minutes until soft.
Ingredients: 200 ml dashi stock · 3 tbsp soy sauce · 3 tbsp mirin · 1 tsp sugar · 1 pcs onion · 3 pcs eggs · 2 pcs spring onion
Slice the cutlets
Cut the fried cutlets into 2 cm strips and lay them over the onion in the pan.
Ingredients: 300 g boneless pork loin, 1.5 cm slices · 3 tbsp plain flour · 1 pcs egg for breading · 60 g panko · 200 ml rapeseed oil for frying · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Add the egg
Beat the eggs with a fork but not smooth — streaks of white should remain. Pour two thirds over the cutlets, cover and cook 1 minute, then add the rest and cook half a minute more. The egg should be barely set; if you prefer it fully set, keep it covered for 3 minutes.
Ingredients: 200 ml dashi stock · 3 tbsp soy sauce · 3 tbsp mirin · 1 tsp sugar · 1 pcs onion · 3 pcs eggs · 2 pcs spring onion
Barely set egg holds it all together.Serve
Divide the rice between two bowls, slide the contents of the pan on top with the sauce and scatter with spring onion. Serve at once.
Ingredients: 200 ml dashi stock · 3 tbsp soy sauce · 3 tbsp mirin · 1 tsp sugar · 1 pcs onion · 3 pcs eggs · 2 pcs spring onion
Before you start
Dashi and mirin
Dashi takes 15 minutes from a piece of kombu and a handful of bonito flakes, and instant dashi powder is widely sold. A stand-in: 200 ml of light chicken stock with a teaspoon of soy sauce. Mirin is sold in Asian shops and larger supermarkets; in its place use 3 tablespoons of dry white wine with 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Runny egg
In Japan the egg is left very soft. If serving children, pregnant women or the elderly, cook it covered for 3 minutes until fully set.
Storage
Katsudon must be eaten straight away — the crust softens in the sauce. Fried cutlets alone keep 2 days in the fridge; reheat at 200°C for 8 minutes and assemble the dish then.
