Katsudon (カツ丼) is popular Japanese food consisting a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, and condiments. It has become a modern ritual tradition for Japanese students to eat katsudon the night before taking a major test or school entrance exam since katsu means to win or to be victorious!

Katsudon Ingredients

Serves 1
Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet)
120g (4¼ oz) 1cm thick Pork Loin Slice
A sprinkle of Salt and Pepper
All-Purpose Flour for dusting
¼ Egg
A sprinkle of Water
Nama-Panko – Soft Bread Crumbs
Frying Oil (Vegetable Oil) (340 °F/170 °C)
50ml Water (1.7 fl oz)
A pinch of Kombu or Bonito Stock Powder
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Mirin
1 tsp Sugar
70g Onion (2½ oz)
1 Egg
Mitsuba Parsley

Katsudon Preparation

Slice onion (70g) into quarter inch slices. Chop mitsuba parsley into 3 quarters inch pieces.

Tonkatsu

Make several cuts across tough stringy part between fat and lean meat. Flip it over and repeat the cut process. This prevents pork slice from curling up when deep-fried. Tenderize pork slice with a meat pounder. Sprinkle salt and pepper on one side.

Crack egg into a bowl. Spoon a quarter of egg into a shallow dish. Add a sprinkle of water and beat well with a whisk. Now dust both sides of pork slice with all-purpose flour. Make sure to remove excess flour, then dip pork into whisked egg. Coat pork with nama-panko (soft bread crumbs) and shape with your hands.

Preheat oil to 340 degrees Farenheit (170 degree Celsius) Gently place pork into oil and deep-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly rotate pork slice to brown evenly. Flip it over with tongs and cook other side 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Place tonkatsu onto a cooling rack to drain excess oil. Cut tonkatsu into 3-quarters inch pieces.

Katsudon Sauce

Combine water (50ml) with dashi stock powder, soy sauce (1 tbsp), mirin (1 tbsp), sugar (1 tbsp) and sliced onion in a small pan. Stir lightly with chopsticks. Cover and turn on burner to medium heat. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.

Combining Everything

When onion is completely cooked, place tonkatsu into pan. Crack an egg into a bowl. Beat egg slightly and distribute onto tonkatsu. Cover pan again and cook on high heat for 20 to 30 seconds. When egg reaches desired consistency, garnish with mitsuba parsely and turn off burner.

Place fresh steamed rice (200g) into a rice bowl. With a turner, gently place mixture (tonkatsu egg) onto the rice. Tips: To make a delicious Katsudon is to distribute egg over high heat while tonkatsu is still fresh and warm. Remember not to over-mix egg otherwise it will lose its rich and fluffy texture.