Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (2024)

HOME Kansai Osaka Umeda, Osaka Station, Kitashinchi Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (1)

Date published: 13 May 2022

Katsudon is a popular Japanese food made with deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg, and seasonings over rice.

The main ingredients, pork loin and eggs, are readily available at most overseas supermarkets, making it easy to cook, no matter where you are!

The recipe is designed by cooking instructor, Toshihiro Minami. He has even included a cooking video, so please feel free to follow along as you cook this easy dish for yourself.

Katsudon: Japanese Soul Food with a History of Over 100 Years!

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (2)

Katsudon is a popular bowl dish, especially amongst foreign tourists. It consists of rice topped with boiled pork cutlet and onions, seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, and mirin, and bound with beaten egg.

There are various theories about its origin. One says that it originated in a Waseda, Tokyo soba shop called Sancho-an after a student suggested cooking the pieces of pork that were leftover from a customer's order with egg and serving it with rice, similar to oyakodon. The dish gradually gained popularity and reputation. Today, katsudon can be considered a Japanese soul food and is enjoyed at many specialty shops, as well as in the home.

Several regional variations can be considered local specialties as well, including pork boiled in tonkatsu sauce and pork with curry-infused batter. Today we will learn how to make Japan's classic katsudon dish.

How to make Katsudon: Soften Pork by Tenderizing with a Mallet!

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (3)

Katsudon Ingredients (Serves 1)
・Pre-cooked rice (180g)
・Pork loin (thick slice, 100g)
・1/4 onion
・2 eggs
・Trefoil (optional; as needed)
・Water (50ml)
Cake flour (as needed)
・Eggs (as needed)
・Bread crumbs (as needed)
・Vegetable oil (as needed)
・Pinch of salt and pepper
・1 tbsp sake (may substitute with white wine)
・1 tbsp mirin
・1 tbsp soy sauce
・1 tsp sugar
・Katsuo dashi (50ml)

*For how to use the dashi, please refer to the video, 'How to Make Dashimaki Tamago'. If mirin is not available, see video 'How to Make Oyakodon'.

How to Make Katsudon

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (4)

1) Cut onions into thin slices.

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (5)

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (6)

2) Cut pork loin, cover with plastic wrap, and pound with a stick. Tenderizing the meat in this way breaks down the fibers, allowing it to cook more evenly for a softer finish.

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (7)

3) Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the tenderized pork, and batter with flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs (in that order).

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (8)

4) Pour vegetable oil into the pan, heat at 170℃, and add battered pork loin. Fry for about 5 minutes until fully cooked and the surface has browned.

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (9)

5) After frying, drain thoroughly and cut into pieces about 2 cm wide.

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (10)

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (11)

6) Add water, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, dashi, and sliced onions into the frying pan, and cook over medium heat.

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (12)

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (13)

7) When onions are tender, add the pork slices and lightly beaten egg, and steam for about 30 seconds on medium heat. As it steams, prepare your bowl of rice.

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (14)

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (15)

Place the steamed pork and egg over the rice, and you're done! In Japan, it is common to add a mitsuba leaf (Japanese parsley) as a finishing touch.

Be careful not to over-fry the pork! This will result in the meat hardening when boiled. For a more delicious meal, only fry the meat until it is just short of being fully cooked.

Chef Profile:

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (16)

Toshihiro Minami, manager of cooking studio Osaka Delicious. After entering the work force, he returned to school and changed careers to become a cooking instructor. He serves as a lecturer at cooking studio Osaka Delicious, while concurrently working on recipe development, as a cooking assistant, and on making TV appearances. In addition to general Japanese dishes, he can prepare a wide variety of foods, including Western and Chinese cuisine.
Osaka Delicious Official Homepage

Text by: Efeel Co., Ltd.
*Information in article as of February 2022.

Translated by: Krys Suzuki

▼More Easy Japanese Recipes You Can Make At Home!▼

Classic Japanese 'Dashimaki Tamago' Recipe: The Flavor Will Delight Your Tastebuds!

Easy Oyakodon Recipe: How to Make Japan’s Definitive Donburi Dish!

Classic Japanese 'Omurice' Recipe: How To Make The Fluffy, Ketchup-Seasoned Sensation! (Video)

Easy Japanese Potato Croquettes (Korokke) Recipe: Enjoy Soft Flaky Potatoes, Ground Beef, and a Tangy Sauce! (Video)

Ebi Fry (Japanese Fried Shrimp) Recipe: Perfect Harmony Of Crunchy Breading and Super Plump Shrimp (Video)

Nikujaga Recipe: A Deliciously Simmered Meat-and-Potatoes Japanese Classic!

  • Area

    Umeda, Osaka Station, Kitashinchi

  • Category

    Other Japanese Food

  • How To: Eating

*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.

Hearty Japanese Katsudon Recipe: Crispy Pork Cutlet with Soft & Scrumptious  Egg | LIVE JAPAN travel guide (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Wyatt Volkman LLD

Last Updated:

Views: 5651

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (46 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Wyatt Volkman LLD

Birthday: 1992-02-16

Address: Suite 851 78549 Lubowitz Well, Wardside, TX 98080-8615

Phone: +67618977178100

Job: Manufacturing Director

Hobby: Running, Mountaineering, Inline skating, Writing, Baton twirling, Computer programming, Stone skipping

Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.