There was a time when my fish-averse younger self had very few options at a Japanese restaurant. I would suffer through plates of teriyaki and bowls of plain udon, as I watched the rest of my family dig into their raw fish, which I considered extremely unappetizing. One day, I finally opted for a dish that I’d passed over on the menu so many times before: Japanese Katsudon.
What Is Katsudon?
If you’ve never heard of it, Katsudon is basically katsu (a pork chop breaded with panko and fried) over rice with onion and egg. It was awesome, and it became my go-to choice whenever I went to a Japanese place–a fish-less, teriyaki-less haven.
Since then, I’ve discovered that sushi is, in fact, delicious and amazing, and I now order either sushi or sashimi at any Japanese restaurant I go to.
But every time, I’ll give a friendly little wave to the Katsudon option on the menu––an old friend. Well, the other day, I decided to make the dish at home, which, as it turns out, is a very simple task.
The results of this katsudon recipe were great–the crispy pork, paired with the slightly sweet mixture of egg and onion, all smushed into a pile of rice? What’s not to like?
Katsudon Recipe Instructions
Season the pounded pork chops with salt and pepper, and dust with a light, even coating of flour. In one shallow bowl, beat the egg. Put the panko into another shallow bowl.
Add thin, even layer of oil to a cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat. The oil is ready when you throw a panko breadcrumb into the oil and it sizzles. Dip the pork into the egg to coat.
Transfer the pork to the panko and press it evenly into the meat to get a good coating.
Carefully lay the pork chops in the hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes on one side, until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side for another 5-6 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.
While the pork is resting, add the dashi stock (or chicken stock), sugar, soy sauce, and mirin to a small bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Add a tablespoon of oil to a pan over medium heat, and add the sliced onion. Fry the onions until they’re translucent and slightly caramelized.
Pour the stock mixture over the onions. Slice your tonkatsu into pieces and place on top of the onions.
Drizzle the egg over everything.
Cook over medium low heat until the egg is just set. Serve over bowls of steamed rice, and garnish with scallions.
Katsudon Japanese Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 center-cut (boneless pork chops, pounded down to a centimeter thick)
- salt and pepper
- flour (for dusting)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko
- oil (for frying)
- 1/2 cup dashi stock or chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Mirin
- 2 large eggs
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 servings steamed white rice
- 1 scallion (chopped)
Instructions
- Season the pounded pork chops with salt and pepper, and dust with a light, even coating of flour. In one shallow bowl, beat the egg. Put the panko into another shallow bowl.
- Add thin, even layer of oil to a cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat. The oil is ready when you throw a panko breadcrumb into the oil and it sizzles. Dip the pork into the egg to coat. Transfer the pork to the panko and press it evenly into the meat to get a good coating.
- Carefully lay the pork chops in the hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes on one side, until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side for another 5-6 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.
- While the pork is resting, add the stock, sugar, soy sauce, and Mirin to a small bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Add a tablespoon of oil to a pan over medium heat, and add the sliced onion. Fry the onions until they’re translucent and slightly caramelized.
- Pour the stock mixture over the onions. Slice your tonkatsu into pieces and place on top of the onions. Drizzle the egg over everything. Cook over medium low heat until the egg is just set. Serve over bowls of steamed rice, and garnish with scallions.
nutrition facts
I’ve been dying to try my hand at katsudon since seeing “Midnight Diner.” A question–how long should the onions be cooked? Fully caramelized onions is about 40 minutes, but that’s fully soft and brown–should the onions here still have a bit of crunch left to them? Thanks!
They shouldn’t be fully caramelized, Kate, they should indeed still have some crunch, but also be tender.
So delicious! Feels like I’m back in Japan. My wife likes it with lots of egg so we doubled the egg and stock mixture. Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Michael!
My family absolutely loved this! It is very easy with few ingredients. I made extra broth to pour over the bowl. It brought back good memories… Thankyou!
You’re very welcome, Andrew—so happy you and your family enjoyed it!
So easy and delicious.
Every recipe I try is spot on
Thank you so much, Jolene! :)
Two questions here…
What would you serve as a side dish with this? Some kind of steamed veggies, maybe?
And could you treat a chicken cutlet the same way?
Yes you could definitely make chicken katsu; we actually have one here: https://thewoksoflife.com/chicken-katsu-curry-rice/. You can serve with steamed veggies, or a salad with carrot ginger dressing, or with a stir-fried leafy green!
This was a very satisfying meal for two. Quick to make and quick to eat. I like the crispiness from the panko and the slight sweetness from the mirin in the onions. I left out the 2 tsp of sugar and I will get some dashi for the next time. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Laura!
This is one of the all-time favourites when I have people over for dinner (: One important question though–what kind of bowl should be used to serve this, what’s roughly the size? Some ramen bowl seem to deep and not broad enough.
Hi Federico, I like a shallow dish for this rather than a bowl. More room to spread the katsu onto the rice!
Been looking for this reci6, thanks
Hope you enjoy it, Bob!
This is my third time preparing this recipe. My son is the one who found the recipe and encouraged me to make it. It has become a family favorite!!!
So happy to hear that Denise!