Japanese katsudon consists of a panko-breaded pork cutlet, served with soft eggs and sliced onions over white rice. This “cheat” takes care of two problems for me: 1) providing a vegetarian alternative and 2) saving me the trouble of breading and frying!
I used a frozen breaded “turkey” cutlet and simply heated it up in the oven until throughly heated and crispy. The texture doesn’t quite match up to the tender firmness of pork, but it certainly is an acceptable replacement! If you don’t want to entirely cheat, another meat-free alternative is firm tofu, frozen, thawed, and pressed. I will definitely be experimenting with this later!
So much of the pleasure we derive from food comes from it’s texture, and katsudon is certainly not afraid to play with texture. The crispy fried exterior of the cutlet is intentionally simmered and partially coated in egg, which technically ruins the crunchy texture you worked so hard to achieve. However, the panko soaks up a lot of flavor from the sauce, and you still get that satisfying crunch with an added juiciness as well.
Fun fact: the first dish I ever posted on my Instagram was oyakudon! Back then, I barely knew how to cook and I stubbornly refused to look at any recipes. The result was a dry, thick layer of egg that kind of solidified around the “meat.” After some experimentation, I was surprised with how much liquid is involved in this dish! I thought it was unecessary, but the boiling liquid is what helps the eggs turn fluffy and soft. The liquid buffer also ensures an easy slide from the pan into the bowl. Also, the extra liquid that doesn’t set with the eggs can leak out onto your bed a of rice, which serves as a flavorful sauce!
Recipe:
- 1 to 2 frozen “turkey” cutlets
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 cup of dashi (or stock)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- Optional Toppings: sliced scallions, parsley, hoisin sauce, shredded cabbage
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 425˚C and bake the cutlets from frozen until the outside is crisp
- Slice the onion into thin slices, beat the two eggs with a pinch of salt
- Add the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin into a pan with the onions, and bring to a simmer until the onion is soft
- Chop the cutlets into thick slices, then move the onions from the center of the pan and place the sliced cutlet into the center
- Turn the heat up until the liquid is rapidly boiling, then pour the eggs evenly around the pan and remove immediately from heat
- Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and return the pan with the cover on, and cook until the egg is barely set
- Slide the cutlet and the egg onto an awaiting bowl of hot white rice
Maggieccooks 