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by Zayna Khan

Katsudon is a popular Japanese food made up of having two-three items as shown in the name of the dish, rice bowl and eggs. Katsudon is actually pork cutlet served with vegetables with some sauce and condiments. This meal is a very healthy meal because this has all the necessary item that can make a person full of nutrients and the crunch of cutlet, rice grains, vegetables with some species and sauces to add flavor and texture make it very nice and delicious.

It is said that this meal is the best meal while stressful situations or in an unpleasant mood. This is best for growing children because of the full nutrients. This bowl has all the required elements for a healthy body. Protein from the meat of pork, fat from meat, grains have carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins are from vegetables to fill a healthy body need.

The name of the dish is from two different Japanese dishes: one is from the Japanese rice bowl and the other is from the traditional Japanese Pork cutlet.

TONKATSU : Pork Cutlet
DONBURI : Rice bowl

TONKATSU

Tonkatsu is Japanese deep-fried tempura style pork cutlet. It is served with tonkatsu sauce, cabbage salad, and sometimes with rice. It is also added to the miso soup for some crunch and crackers effect. It is best used as a snack with sauce as in the evening tea time snack. It is also added to dinner as the side element of the main dish.

DONBURI

Donburi or Domburi is a simple rice bowl serve with any meat element and some vegetables. Simple simmered rice bowl with the addition of some sauce like soya sauce, mirin, etc. Then the meat is added to the top of the bowl, sometimes served with vegetables. Meat can be beef, seafood, chicken, etc. Varieties are:

Beef ricd bowl
Unadon rice ( eel on the rice )
Chicken rice bowl
Simple vegetable rice bowl.

Addition of different ingredients into this dish

RICE

Rice bowl is the dish name and rice is the first element of the dish. Because of the addition of all the different other elements like katsudon, vegetables, sauce, this rice is simply simmered steamed rice. The simple rice goes well with the flavorful meat elements. If the rice is full of spices, and the meat is full of spices, then the dish will not go well. We have one simple element with a spicy and flavorful element.

The rice used in making this dish is JAPANESE SHORT GRAIN RICE.

KATSU ( DEEP FRIED PORK CUTLET )

This is also known as Tonkatsu. It is the crunchy and crispy element of the dish. Pork meat is mixed with spices and sauce. Then shape into a cutlet, covered with eggs, bread crumbs, and fry them. The hard crunchy layer outside, soft juicy meat inside. Breadcrumbs are used to seal the meat’s juiciness and to add the hard crispy texture of the cutlet. This cutlet can be shallow fried but the crispiness and hard texture are obtained by deep-frying.

Tonkatsu is prepared by Pork fillet, Pork loin, Salt, pepper is added as the spices of the dish. Simple but flavorful and juicy cutlet.

EGG

The egg is the element of the dish which can be added into the dish in any form. We have many option to deal with the eggs and this dish can have eggs in any form like :

Boiled egg
Fried egg
Sunny side up egg
Crumbled egg
Omelet
Steamed egg

VEGETABLES

The most used vegetables in this dish are :

Spring onions
Welsh onions
Cabbage
Spinach
Carrots
Parsely
Peas, etc.

SAUCES

Tonkatsu sauce
Soya sauce
Mirin
Rice vinegar
Dashi broth
Dark soya sauce
Miso soup

TONKATSU SAUCE :

This is a thick sweet-sour sauce with the addition of many vegetables and fruits for the sweetness and honey, salt, spices added to make it delicious. Like the addition of

Dates
Plums
Tomatoes
Prunes
Lemon juice, etc.

DIFFERENT TOPPINGS

Grated cheese
Kimchi
Beni Shoga
Miso soup
Daikon
Black sesame seeds
White sesame seeds
Poppy seeds
Nori
Negi
Chenpi roasted peel
Sansho, etc.

INGREDIENTS

FOR RICE

Rice : 250 grams
Water : 1 cup
Salt : 1 teaspoon
Oil : 2 tablespoons

FOR KATSU

Pork meat : 500 grams ( 4 fillets )
Salt : 1 teaspoon
Blackpepper : 1 teaspoon
Eggs : 2
Beadcrumbs : 1 cup
Plain flour : 1/2 cup
Mirin : 2 tablespoon
Soyasauce : 2 tablespoons
Oil for frying

VEGETABLE

Spring onions : 2 stems
Corn : 1/2 cup
Scallions : 1/2 cup

COMPLEMENTARY SIDE TOPPINGS

Eggs : 2
Sesame seeds : 1 tablespoons
Daikon : 1/2 cup

COOKING DIRECTIONS

For rice, add soaked rice into the steamer with water and salt, oil. Cook the rice for 5 minutes until the water absorbed and than cook it in steamer for 20 minutes. So we can have a rice bowl served with other elements.
Now for Katsu, take pork fillets and add the marignation ingredients like salt, pepper, mirin, soyasauce and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Whisk the eggs then take marignated pork dipped into the eggs, covered with breadcrumbs and deep fry them.
Fry them until they get a nice color and tendered completely.
Now take oil in the pan and add all the vegetables with salt and pepper, sauteed them for 5 minutes.
We have allthe elements now assembled together.

ASSEMBLING

Take a rice bowl, top it with katsu and sauteed vegetables and serve.
Enjoy 🙂