Katsudon is the king of all rice bowls! Fluffy Japanese white rice topped with a crispy pork cutlet, juicy onions and sweet dashi flavoured egg. This dish is packed with flavour and has great texture, it's no wonder it's so popular!
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What is Katsudon?
Katsudon is a popular rice bowl dish topped with breaded deep-fried pork cutlet and onion simmered in soy sauce-flavored dashi sauce and mixed with egg.
It is one of the most well-loved Japanese dishes among children and adults.
While katsudon is most commonly made with pork, you can also make it with chicken if you prefer.
Katsudon is a popular dish!
This dish is usually served in
- Canteens
- Soba restaurants
- Udon restaurants
- Bento shops
- Convenience stores...etc
I believe it's one of the most liked dishes by Japanese people. It's also very common to make it at home. You can buy pre-made cutlet and make this dish very quickly and easily!
So, let's indulge with this delicious katsudon recipe from scratch!
Ingredients for katsudon
Katsudon (かつ丼) is made of 4 main ingredients, it's pretty simple.
- Pork cutlet
- Egg
- Onion
- Rice
All in one bowl!
Tonkatsu is a name that combines the words, "tonkatsu" (とんかつ) which means deep fried pork cutlet and "donburi" (丼) which means rice bowl. So the star of this dish is the cutlet!
Pork cutlet is made by coating a piece of pork with flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs and then frying it. (I use Hamaotome Soft Panko when I'm in Japan and JFC Panko breadcrumbs when I was in England, I recommend either!)
Difference between Katsudon and Tonkatsu
You might be wondering, what is the difference between tonkatsu and katsudon? Many people get these confused because they're both dishes that serve a crispy pork cutlet with rice right?
Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu is the pork cutlet served on a plate with shredded cabbage and rice on the side. It's drizzled with a fruity tonkatsu sauce and if you order it 'teishoku' set meal style, it often comes with miso soup and some pickles too.
You can see our recipe for tonkatsu here, it also includes how to make delicious tonkatsu sauce from scratch.
Katsudon
Katsudon is served with the pork cutlet served in a large bowl, on top of the rice. The word "donburi" (丼) literally means rice bowl after all.
The pork cutlet is cooked together with the egg, but it doesn't lose too much crispiness because the egg is not fully cooked. The katsu and egg are then placed on top of the rice.
The soy sauce dashi mix is mixed in with the egg, which is the part that holds that special katsudon flavour. Lastly it's garnished with spring onions or nori.
So in the end, although both tonkatsu and katsudon contain the breaded pork cutlet, the dishes themselves are actually very different!
History of Katsudon
While there is no definite confirmed answer on the origin of katsudon, there are four popular theories:
Theory 1: Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture around 1900's
This theory is the oldest and considered by many as the one for now. An article was published stating that katsudon was being served at Okumura Honten (奥村本店), an old soba restaurant in Kofu (Yamanashi prefecture) in the late Meiji 30s (1900's).
Theory 2: Fukui Prefecture in 1913
Masutaro Takahata, the first owner of Europe House (ヨーロッパ軒), which now has its headquarter in Fukui, presented his sauce katsudon at a cooking presentation in Tokyo after completing his culinary training in Germany, and later started serving it at his restaurant in Waseda-Tsurumaki-cho.
Theory 3: Waseda, Tokyo in 1919
At Sancho-an (三朝庵) in Waseda area, a student came up with the idea of putting the leftover pork cutlet, which was expensive at the time, on a bowl of rice topped with an egg, like an egg bowl, when he was wondering what to do with it since he could not serve it cold.
Theory 4: Waseda, Tokyo in 1921
Keijiro Nakanishi went into the kitchen of a restaurant called Cafe House, where students used to go often.
In there, he cut a pork cutlet into small pieces, put it on a bowl of rice, boiled down the sauce, poured it on top, and named it Katsudon.
It's interesting to note that two of the theories come from Waseda.
Katsudon in Popular Culture
Katsudon is a popular dish on Japanese TV, featured on animes and dramas alike! Here are a few programmes that mention katsudon.
Katsudon in Anime
Katsudon became particularly famous outside of Japan after being featured on the popular animes "My Hero Academia" and "Yuri!!! on Ice".
On both shows, katsudon is the favourite dish of the protagonists. Katsudon is considered a "winning dish" so it's only natural that it would be the favourite food of well loved leading characters.
In fact, in Japanese the word katsu has a double meaning. While we call pork cutlet "katsu", it also means "to win"(勝つ). It's common to eat katsudon before or after an exam, test or competition, either as good luck or as a reward.
Katsudon in the interrogation room?
One of the most familiar scenes in detective dramas in Japan is the interrogation room. The scene where the suspect eats Katsudon is such a classic scene.
But everyone, including me, has been wondering why katsudon?
It is said that the first time Katsudon appeared in a detective drama was in the movie "Keisatsu Nikki (1955)". In the movie, there is a scene where a policeman treats Katsudon to civilians who have been eating and drinking without paying or stealing.
At that time, Katsudon was the most luxurious food, so it's supposed to be an effective prop to show the warmth of a policeman's heart. I assume this tradition has carried on till now.
You might be wondering, "does that happen in real life?"
Unfortunately, this is something show business made up and police wouldn't just treat suspects with delicious katsudon.
Tips and tricks to make an amazing Katsudon
Katsudon is quite a simple dish, but there are a few tips you can use to take it to the next level. Here are a few of my favourite tips for making the ultimate katsudon!
For tips and tricks for katsu itself, please refer to how to make katsu recipe.
Cook the onions thoroughly
By cooking onions thoroughly, the natural sweetness of the onions will be added to the dish, creating a deeper flavour!
Use light brown sugar
Of course this is optional, but by using light brown sugar instead of white sugar, you can taste the sweetness better mixed with the sauce.
Do not whisk the egg too much
The key to making fluffy tonkatsu is not to beat the egg too much before adding the pan. If you dare to leave the egg white, it will be soft and fluffy to the touch.
Do not touch the egg once it's in
After pouring the beaten egg around the pan, try not to interfere with it. If you touch the egg before it hardens, it will mix with the dipping sauce and prevent the egg from binding properly.
It is best just to keep an eye on the egg after it has been added for a soft and fluffy texture.
FAQ
"Katsu" means deep fried pork cutlet and "don" means rice bowl. So together, it means deep fried pork cutlet rice bowl.
Tonkatsu is a deep fried pork cutlet usually served with rice and cabbage on the side. Katsudon, however, refers to deep fried pork cutlet rice bowl, it's all served in one bowl along with onions and steamed egg.
Japanese donburi dishes are always made with short grain Japanese white rice. It's easiest to use a rice cooker, but we also have a guide on how to cook Japanese style rice on the stove here.
Check out our step by step video: How to Make Classic Katsudon from Scratch
Print
Japanese Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl Katsudon (かつ丼)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 portions 1x
Description
How to make the ultimate donburi dish, Katsudon. Fluffy Japanese white rice topped with a crispy pork cutlet, juicy onions and sweet dashi flavoured egg.
Ingredients
- 2 bowls of cooked Japanese short grain rice (approx 300g)
- Chopped green onion (optional garnish)
For the Katsu
- 2 Boneless Pork Chops
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil (amount needed to shallow or deep fry)
- 4 tbsp Plain flour
- 1 Large egg
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 100g (approx 1 cup) Panko breadcrumbs
Katsudon
- 1 Large white onion
- 100ml (0.4 cups) Water
- 2 tbsp Sake
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Tsuyu sauce (see note)
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
First, cook 150g rice (2 portions) with 200ml water, either in a rice cooker or see how to cook Japanese rice on the stove.
Katsu
- Rub a pinch of salt and pepper onto both sides of the meat.
- Pound the pork chops to tenderize the meat, they should be about 2cm thick.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg and 1 tbsp of milk.
- Prepare two plates, one with flour and one with the panko breadcrumbs.
- First coat the meat with flour on both sides.
- Dip them into the egg/milk mix.
- Next press it into the panko, make sure it's fully covered.
- Now, heat the oil in a pan to 170C (340F) If you don't have a thermometer, just drop a piece of panko into the pan. When it's sizzling, you know the oil is ready.
- Carefully place the coated pork chops into the oil and cook for about 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total) or until golden brown. When the oil stops making a crackling sound, that usually means they're ready.
- Place the katsu on a wire rack to let the excess oil drain off.
Donburi
- Cut one onion into thin slices and fry in a medium heat frying pan for a minute or so.
- Add the 100ml water, 2 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp tsuyu sauce and cook until the onion softens and the sauce is reduced by half. (approx 10 mins)
- While the onions are softening, crack 2 eggs into a bowl and mix.
- Cut the katsu into 2cm strips.
- Add the katsu to the pan and pour in the eggs, evenly distributing them over the katsu and onions.
- Leave to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Put a lid on top and turn off the heat. Allow the eggs to steam cook for 1 minute.
- Put the cooked rice into two deep bowls and serve the egg and katsu mixture to the top.
- Garnish with chopped spring onion or your preferred greens.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have tsuyu sauce, the best substitute is a sprinkle of dashi powder. You can also see how to make tsuyu sauce here.
You can use chicken or beef instead of pork for the katsu.
The egg should be a little runny in this dish but if you prefer it well cooked you can cook for a bit longer.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Rice Bowl
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
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Sheldon
Easy to follow, turned out great. Thanks
★★★★★
Yuto Omura
Thank you for your comment and rating 🙂 Glad you liked it!