Baked Katsudon
Juicy oven-baked (not deep-fried) pork cutlet and runny egg cooked in a savory-sweet dashi broth and placed over hot steamed rice - a lighter take on the classic Japanese donburi. Cuisine: Japanese; Course: Main Course.
⏱️ Prep: 25 min🍳 Cook: 40 min
Ingredients
| 1 cup | 240 ml | panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc.) |
| 2 pieces (½ lb / 226 g) | ½"-thick lean boneless pork loin chops | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | salt (kosher or sea salt) |
| — | freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1-2 Tbsp | 15–30 ml | all-purpose flour |
| 1 | large egg (for breading) | |
| 1/2 | onion, divided | |
| 2 | large eggs (1 per serving) | |
| 2 servings | cooked Japanese short grain rice | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | dashi |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | sake |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | mirin |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | soy sauce |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | sugar |
| — | mitsuba (Japanese parsley) | |
| — | shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), optional |
Instructions
Baked Katsu:
- Gather all the ingredients. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
- Combine the panko and oil in a frying pan and toast over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer to a shallow dish and let cool.
- Cut the onion into thin slices and the mitsuba into small pieces.
- Remove extra fat and make a couple of slits on the connective tissue between the meat and fat (so the cutlet stays flat and doesn't curl).
- Pound the meat with a meat pounder (or the back of a knife) and mold it back into its original shape.
- Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Dredge each pork piece in flour to coat completely and pat off the excess.
- Beat one egg, coat the pork with the beaten egg, then coat with the toasted panko, pressing the flakes so they adhere.
- Place the pork on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or an oven-safe wire rack) and bake at 400F (200C) until no longer pink inside, about 20 minutes.
- Remove and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Make one serving at a time using a small pan:
- Combine the seasonings (dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar) in a measuring cup. Beat one egg in a bowl.
- Put half the onion slices in the pan and pour ½-¾ cup of the sauce over them. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium and cook the onions until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
- Add one baked tonkatsu, raise to medium-high heat, pour and distribute the beaten egg evenly, and cover with the lid.
- When the egg is half cooked, turn off the heat.
- Serve rice in a donburi bowl and slide the tonkatsu and egg mixture on top. Repeat for the second serving. Serve with shichimi togarashi on the side.