Katsudon is a popular Japanese rice bowl featuring a fried pork cutlet that gets simmered with eggs and onions in a savory sauce.
It’s one of the most common variations of their “donburi”, or rice bowls.
If you loved my Tonkatsu recipe, this one takes it to a new level of delicious…
Donburi are one of the staples of Japanese cuisine. These rice bowls are topped with protein and vegetables together and served over rice. One example is my popular Teriyaki Chicken Bowl.
Donburi bowls are a beloved Japanese comfort food. There are many fast food restaurants specializing in them, and they are a popular quick lunch option.
Katsudon is among the most popular of these bowls, and it’s absolutely amazing. It’s hard to describe these flavors, you just have to try it.
What is Katsudon?
Katsudon combines the Japanese words tonkatsu (pork cutlet) and donburi (rice bowl dish). Tonkatsu is a panko fried pork cutlet, whichI featured in my last post.
In this recipe, tonkatsu is cooked with onions and eggs in a tasty sauce, then served over rice.
I could almost be described as a pork cutlet omelet over rice… how cool!
Fun fact: Katsudon is considered good luck. Japanese students commonly eat katsudon before taking a major exam because “katsu” is also a verb meaning “to win” or “to be victorious”.
Ingredients Needed
- Rice – If you have short grain Japanese rice on hand, that’s most traditional. Otherwise, use any of your favorite white rice varieties.
- Tonkatsu – pork cutlets, flour, eggs, panko
- Onions
- Eggs
- Sauce mixture – chicken stock, teriyaki sauce, sugar
- Green onions – for garnish
Katsudon Recipe
First, I start the rice cooking according to the package directions. While that’s going, I move on to making the tonkatsu.
If you need detailed instructions, I’ve got a full tonkatsu recipe for detailed instructions. Here’s a quick rundown: I pound the pork until it’s about 1/2 inch thick, then dredge it in flour, dip it in egg, and coat it with panko. After that, I deep fry it until it’s golden brown, which usually takes about 4-5 minutes per side. Once it’s done, I remove it and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Next, I heat some oil in a large skillet and sauté the onions until they’re soft and starting to caramelize. Then, I add the broth mixture and let it simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
While that’s cooking, I slice the tonkatsu into equal strips, about ¾ inch thick. Once the onions and broth are ready, I carefully lay the tonkatsu strips on top of the onion mixture.
I then drizzle the whisked eggs over everything in the skillet. I cover it and let it cook for about 2 minutes, just until the egg is set.
Once it’s ready, I serve it over bowls of rice and garnish with some chopped green onions.
Can You Make It with Chicken?
Absolutely! Chicken katsu can be used in place of tonkatsu. This variation is called oyako katsudon.
You can also make it with beef. Then you would call it gyū katsudon.
Give this famous Japanese comfort food a try. You’ll be amazed by the combination of flavors. With these basic Japanese pork or chicken cutlets, you can also make classic dishes like Pork Katsu Curry, or Chicken Katsu Curry.
There are so many varied foods to try in the world. Bringing those dishes to your kitchen is what GypsyPlate is all about.
Katsudon, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great Asian Dishes!
Japanese Beef Curry
Thai Basil Fried Rice
Mongolian Beef
Chicken Caldereta
Teriyaki Chicken
Gado Gado
Bun Cha
Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl)
Katsudon is a popular Japanese rice bowl featuring a fried pork cutlet that gets simmered with eggs and onions in a savory sauce. It's a great one-bowl comfort food.
Ingredients
Tonkatsu
- 2 pork loin chops, pounded to 1/2" thick
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2 cups panko
Katsudon
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 4 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 2 tbsp green onions, sliced
Instructions
Tonkatsu
For detailed instructions, see our Tonkatsu post
- Gather three separate, shallow bowls. Fill one with flour, one with whisked eggs, and one with panko.
- Heat about 1 inch of cooking oil in a skillet over medium high heat to 350°F.
- Season both sides of pork cutlets with salt. Dredge the cutlets first in flour, then egg, then panko. Fry until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes, turning every few minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate or wire rack to drain excess oil.
Katsudon
- Combine broth, teriyaki sauce and sugar in a bowl.
- Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté till they are soft and starting to caramelize.
- Add the broth mixture and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Slice the tonkatsu into equal strips, about ¾ inch. Carefully lay them on top of the onion mixture.
- Drizzle the three whisked eggs all over everything. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the egg is just set.
- Serve over bowls of rice and garnish with green onions.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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