Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl)

From the kitchen of Carly

Japanese rice bowl: a crispy panko pork cutlet sliced and simmered with onions and beaten egg in a sweet dashi-soy broth, all spooned over hot rice. Dinner in 25 minutes if you start with a store-bought tonkatsu. Cover the pan when the egg goes in. The steam is what cooks the tops without you having to flip a delicate egg.

Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl)
Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Total
25 min
Servings
2
Difficulty
easy

Ingredients

2 servings

  • 1 tbspvegetable oil
  • 1 largeyellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 large cutlet (250g)tonkatsu (panko-crusted pork cutlet, store-bought or homemade)
  • 150 mldashi or vegetable stock
  • 1 tbspsoy sauce
  • 1 tspmirin
  • 1 tspgranulated sugar
  • 2large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 200 g (about 2 cups cooked)cooked sushi or short-grain rice
  • 2 tbspfresh chives or scallion greens, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Reheat the tonkatsu cutlet if it's cold. The oven at 350°F for 5 minutes works, or 90 seconds in an air fryer at 360°F.

  2. Slice the warm tonkatsu crosswise into 1-inch strips. Set aside.

  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet (about 8 inches across) over medium heat.

  4. Add the sliced onion. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to caramelize at the edges.

  5. Arrange the sliced tonkatsu on top of the onions in a single layer, fanning the strips so they cover most of the pan.

  6. In a measuring cup, whisk together the dashi (or vegetable stock), soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.

  7. Pour about three-quarters of the dashi mixture around the tonkatsu. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Let it bubble 1 to 2 minutes; the sauce thickens slightly and the tonkatsu absorbs flavor.

  8. Pour the beaten eggs in a slow swirl around the tonkatsu. Cover the pan with a lid (or foil) and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still glossy and slightly soft.

  9. Divide the cooked rice between 2 deep bowls. Slide the tonkatsu-and-egg mixture from the pan onto the rice, keeping the layers intact.

  10. Drizzle a little of the remaining dashi mixture over the top if you want extra umami.

  11. Scatter chives and serve immediately.

Substitutions
  • tonkatsu cutlet to chicken katsu, store-bought breaded chicken, or thick fried tofu. Tofu version is the vegetarian path. Use 250g pressed firm tofu, panko-crusted and fried 3 minutes per side.
  • dashi to vegetable stock + 1 tsp soy sauce, or instant dashi powder. Real dashi is best (kombu + bonito). Vegetable stock works for a vegetarian version.
  • mirin to 1 tsp sake + 1/2 tsp sugar. Mirin is sweet rice wine; this combination approximates the flavor.

Pairs well with: A small side of pickled vegetables (tsukemono), A bowl of miso soup to start, Hot green tea or cold beer

Adapted from TheMealDB.