With golden brown tonkatsu, drizzled egg, and tender onion simmered in a savory dashi broth, Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl) is true consolation meals. You’ll love the layers of taste on this one-bowl recipe.
Donburi (or rice bowls) are one of many giants of Japanese delicacies. They’re a staple of residence cooking for his or her comfort, versatility, and comforting parts. Right now, I’m bringing you certainly one of my absolute favorites: Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl) with fried pork cutlet, pillowy eggs, and onions simmered in a sweet-savory sauce. It’s the very best sort of consolation meals that everybody loves!
For those who’re on the lookout for extra Japanese rice bowl recipes, attempt my Gyudon, Oyakodon, and Unadon (Grilled Eel Rice Bowl) recipes subsequent!
What’s Katsudon?
The title katsudon (かつ丼) is definitely two Japanese phrases blended collectively. Katsu comes from katsuretsu (カツレツ) and means “breaded cutlet,” whereas don (丼) comes from donburi and means “massive bowl.” Whereas the origins of tonkatsu date again to the mid-1800s, katsudon’s exact origins are of heated debate. Each area has their very own spin on this dish, but every loves the custom of simmered onions with drizzled egg on high.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Straightforward to make upfront – Fry the pork cutlets and cook dinner the rice forward of time to shorten the prep time. On the day you serve, merely make the broth, reheat the rice, and heat the cutlets.
- Layers of texture – The cutlets are crispy, the onions are tender, and the rice is agency but fluffy.
- It’s pure consolation meals – My household loves the warming and comforting flavors and its one-bowl presentation, similar to you’d get at a Japanese restaurant.
Elements for Katsudon
- Tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlets) – Make it at residence with my Tonkatsu recipe.
- Onion
- Eggs
- Inexperienced onion
- Dashi (Japanese soup inventory) – I take advantage of a Dashi Packet for comfort and taste.
- Sugar
- Mirin (candy rice wine)
- Soy sauce
- Cooked Japanese short-grain rice
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Substitutions
- Dashi: When you’ve got 20 minutes, make the soup inventory from scratch with kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) following my Make Dashi recipe. In a pinch, you may make dashi with Dashi Powder.
- Mirin: You’ll be able to substitute 1 Tbsp sake (or water) + 1 tsp sugar for each 1 Tbsp mirin. The taste isn’t the identical, nevertheless it’s shut.
Make Katsudon
Preparation
Step 1 – Make the dashi. Add the water and dashi packet to a pot and convey to a boil. Cut back to a simmer. After a couple of minutes, discard the packet.
Step 2 – Slice the aromatics. Thinly minimize the onion and inexperienced onions/scallions.
Step 3 – Prep the eggs and tonkatsu. Crack the eggs right into a small bowl and beat with chopsticks till uniform in colour. Reduce every cutlet into 1-inch-thick slices with a knife.
Cooking
Step 4 – Simmer. Add the sliced onions to a big skillet, then the dashi broth. Cowl the pan, activate the range to medium warmth, and cook dinner till virtually translucent.
Step 5 –Season the broth. Add the sugar, mirin, and soy sauce and blend to mix. Place the cutlets on the onion. Cowl and cook dinner briefly till warmed by.
Step 6 – Drizzle within the egg. Pour the crushed eggs over the warmed cutlets. Cowl and cook dinner till the eggs are simply set.
Assemble
Step 8 – Serve. Divide the rice into bowls and high every with the cutlets and onion combination. Optionally, drizzle with additional broth and garnish with scallions (or chopped mitsuba, in case you have it).
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
- Don’t overcook the egg – The crushed eggs ought to solely take between 30–60 seconds of cook dinner time. I counsel letting them come to room temperature first in order that they cook dinner evenly.
- Be affected person with the onion – Cook dinner till they’re translucent and tender so the tonkatsu soaks up as a lot of their taste as attainable.
- Use good-quality dashi – That is probably the most important element of the broth, and it makes all of the distinction. Please use do-it-yourself or a dashi packet when attainable.
Variations and Customizations
Pork cutlet rice bowl is simple to switch with what you’ve got readily available. Listed here are a few of my favourite suggestions.
- Bake it. For those who don’t need to deep-fry, my Baked Katsudon recipe with simple directions is simply pretty much as good.
- Strive a distinct protein. My Hen Katsudon with rooster breast is equally scrumptious.
- Make it gluten-free. Strive my Gluten-Free Baked Hen Katsu and use gluten-free soy sauce for the broth.
- Make it plant-based. Use a tofu cutlet, greens, and Vegan Dashi.
What to Serve with Katsudon
I like serving katsudon with miso soup or these different dishes under.
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer: Retailer the leftovers in an hermetic container and refrigerate for as much as 3–4 days or freeze for as much as 1 month. Nonetheless, it’s finest to retailer the dashi, tonkatsu, and rice individually and cook dinner it with the crushed egg simply earlier than serving.
To reheat: For the very best outcomes, reheat the leftovers within the oven at 375°F (190°C) for six–7 minutes or till heat.
Steadily Requested Questions
Sure, you’ll be able to put together every aspect of this dish forward of time. Retailer the deep-fried cutlets (breaded in flour and panko breadcrumbs) and broth individually within the fridge for as much as 3–4 days. You may as well freeze the cooked rice and tonkatsu for a month. Reheat them, then cook dinner the egg recent to order.
The underside of tonkatsu is meant to soak up the scrumptious taste from the broth, and the highest needs to be flippantly coated in creamy egg! So your tonkatsu with its golden brown, panko breadcrumb coating is not going to keep crispy when you assemble the rice bowl.
This isn’t conventional, however please be at liberty to make use of salt and pepper to your style.
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Earlier than You Begin: Collect all of the elements. For the steamed rice, please observe that 1½ cups (2 rice cooker cups, 300 g) of raw Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice. That is sufficient for two donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how one can cook dinner short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the range, Instantaneous Pot, or donabe.
To Make the Dashi
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Add 1 cup water and 1 dashi packet to a small pot. Begin cooking over medium warmth. Tip: You’ll be able to substitute the packet with Awase Dashi, dashi powder, or Vegan Dashi. For those who‘re new to Japanese soup inventory, be taught extra in my final dashi information Make Dashi.
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After it begins boiling, scale back the warmth to medium-low warmth and simmer for two minutes. Shake the bag a number of instances to launch extra taste after which discard the packet. The dashi is able to use.
To Put together the Elements
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Thinly slice ½ onion; I extremely advocate chopping it thinly to cut back the cooking time. Subsequent, slice 1 inexperienced onion/scallion and put aside for garnish.
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Crack 3 massive eggs (50 g every w/o shell) right into a medium bowl. Elevate the egg whites 5–6 instances with a pair of chopsticks to “minimize“ them into smaller clumps. This can marble the yolks and whites and stop the whites from falling into the frying pan . Don’t whisk or beat the eggs. Tip: Intention for top colour distinction between the white and yellow elements of the egg in your completed dish.
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Reduce 2 tonkatsu cutlets into slices about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
To Cook dinner the Katsudon
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Place the onion slices in a single layer in a big frying pan that may match 2 cutlets. Then, add the dashi to the pan.
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Cowl with a tight-fitting lid to forestall evaporation. Then, activate the warmth to medium and cook dinner till the onion is tender and virtually translucent.
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Then, add 2 tsp sugar and 2 Tbsp mirin.
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Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce and blend collectively.
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Place the 2 tonkatsu cutlets on high of the onion and canopy with the lid till the tonkatsu is heated by and the broth is simmering, about 2 minutes. The underside of the tonkatsu will take up the broth.
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Now, evenly distribute the egg in a round (spiral) sample over the tonkatsu and onion. Keep away from the perimeters of the pan the place the egg can simply overcook. (For those who desire to cook dinner your inexperienced onion slices, add them now on high of the egg.) Cowl and simmer for 1 minute, or till the egg is simply barely set.
To Serve
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Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into massive donburi bowls. Place the tonkatsu, onion, and egg combination on high. Drizzle with additional broth, in case you‘d like. Garnish with sliced inexperienced onion and serve instantly.
Energy: 855 kcal · Carbohydrates: 55 g · Protein: 48 g · Fats: 45 g · Saturated Fats: 30 g · Polyunsaturated Fats: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fats: 10 g · Trans Fats: 1 g · Ldl cholesterol: 455 mg · Sodium: 1307 mg · Potassium: 745 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 11 g · Vitamin A: 601 IU · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 103 mg · Iron: 5 mg
Editor’s Be aware: The submit was initially printed on August 25, 2021. It was republished with extra useful content material on March 3, 2025.
