Katsudon

Although I don't cook a lot of Japanese food (today's is only the second on the blog), I have long been a fan. In particular, I have a real soft spot for tonkatsu -- breaded and fried pork cutlets. Belonging to the same family of dishes as Wiener schnitzel, tonkatsu is a true food of my childhood. Tonkatsu is very good on its own with a drizzle of sauce, sliced cabbage, and rice. However, we're taking it a step further today. Katsudon is a type of donburi, a Japanese word which apparently simply translates as "bowl." As the name suggests, donburi is a very broad category of dishes. What unifies them is the basic construction of a bowl of rice topped with meat or fish and some kind of sauce. If you make a lot of tonkatsu to eat in the traditional way, making katsudon the next day is a fun and tasty way to transform it into something new.

The inevitable comparison between tonkatsu and schnitzel is certainly worth a quick discussion. The main difference, in my mind, is that katsu is not pounded. Schnitzel simply must be ultra-thin, but katsu should have more body to bite into. I also use panko instead of regular breadcrumbs. Katsudon takes variations well. The pictured one was made with 3 eggs, but if you like more eggs, add another. If you like it saucier, use more. I also recently had katsudon in a restaurant, and they included carrots and zucchini, which was a surprising and tasty addition. 

I make one departure from the traditional preparation, for practical reasons. Most katsudon recipes call for dashi as the basis of the sauce. Dashi is a Japanese soup broth made from seaweed. As one might expect, I do not typically have seaweed laying around the house, and chicken stock works just fine. Instant powdered dashi does exist, and I will be on the lookout for this in the future.

Ingredients

Tonkatsu

• 3 pieces thinly sliced, boneless pork loin
• Salt and pepper
• Flour
• 1 egg
• Panko
• Vegetable oil for frying

Everything else

• 1 onion
• 2/3 cup chicken stock (or dashi, if available)
• 1 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3-4 eggs
• Vegetable oil
• Steamed rice

Instructions

Start by preparing the tonkatsu and rice. These can be done ahead of time, if desired. The basic technique is almost identical to Wiener schnitzel, but the pork does not need to be pounded. Preheat oil in a saute pan on medium-high. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork. Next, pour out some flour on a plate and dredge the pork. Beat the egg and dip the tonkatsu, making sure it is well coated. Finally, pour some panko on a plate and press the pork in, coating both sides. Fry the pork until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Set aside to cool. Once cooled a bit, slice the katsu into half-inch wide strips.

Pour out most of the oil, leaving enough to saute the onions. Prepare all the remaining ingredients: Slice the onion into strips. Mix together the stock, soy sauce, and sugar. Beat the remaining eggs.

Saute the onion on medium-high until softened and lightly browned. Mix together the stock, soy sauce, and sugar and add to the pan. Add the sliced katsu and pour in the eggs. Stir together and cover the pan. Cook until eggs are done. 

Donburi is served in large bowls. Put a layer of rice in each bowl and top with the katsu and sauce. This recipe will comfortably feed two.