Katsudon Daisakusen

Every once in a while, I would develop an indescribable obsession with a type of food or a particular recipe (past fancies include kewpie mayo, banana bread, carrot cake, pistachio macaroons, and sesame salad dressing). The latest dish that I have been trying to perfect is my homemade version of katsudon. It has been three years since I first started making katsudon myself. However, it is only recently that I began to strive actively for the amelioration of the final product: a friend made me katsudon the other day for dinner and inspired me to re-work my katsudon and incorporate some of her techniques.

The following is a delineation of my latest attempts and my afterthoughts. It is not related to bento, but Frank Tastes is the best place for me to conduct discussions on cooking. So please, let me indulge myself a little, and I hope you will enjoy this too.

Ingredients and Procedure

To make katsudon, we obviously need fried pork chops first. For this, we will need:

• 1 pork chop
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup panko

For the pork chops, I usually use the thin rather than the thick cuts. This is only because the meat sold at the supermarkets in Montreal are wanting in quality and good fat distribution. As for the bread crumbs, while I have used “freshly” made crumbs from stale bread, I find that panko produces the crispiest results.

Aside from the fried chops, the following are also required to complete the donburi favourite:

• 5 tbsp dashi
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp mirin
• 1 egg, beaten
• 10 cm of green onion, finely chopped
• cooked rice for one person

Often, regular onions, instead of green onions, are used. I personally like the taste of green onions better with katsudon and would reserve regular onions for oyakodon. The green onions also add a nice touch of green.

There are two main stages to making katsudon: frying the pork chop and simmering it with the scrambled egg. I will not go into a lengthy discussion on deep-frying, as I don’t have any new remarkable discoveries concerning the matter. The only thing I want to add is that it is not important at this stage to ensure that the chop is thoroughly cooked. Since we will be cooking the meat again in the second stage, we can direct our energy to making the coating golden and crispy.

After letting the fried pork chop cool for a bit, slice it into manageable pieces. With that, we are ready to embark upon the next phase of katsudon-production (excuse my exaggerated language; I am just a bit excited).

In a small pot and over medium heat, mix the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. Next, carefully place the pork slices into the pot, without disturbing their original sequence (this is solely for aesthetic reasons). Wait until the sauce base starts to boil, and pour the scrambled egg over the pork. What we want here is the interlacing of the egg with the pork slices, a marvelous sight to behold. Then, quickly scatter the chopped green onions over, turn the heat down to a medium-low setting, and cover the pot with a lid. It should take no longer than two minutes before the egg is set. We have to be careful with the timing, or else the egg gets old and the pork tough.

While the egg and the pork are happily simmering away, have the rice ready in a big bowl. When everything is ready, spoon any juices from the pot onto the rice and carefully top it off with the egg-pork mass. If you are like me who is a sucker for shichimi, feel free to add a dash or two.

Ta-da!

Afterthoughts

I am satisfied with my current product, although I think there is still room for improvement. Two flaws that I want to correct are the coating of the pork chop and the dashi-soy sauce base. For the coating, I dislike its tendency to dissociate from the meat as a discrete crust. This does not effect the taste but is a matter of texture. My plan for future trials is to omit the flour and just use the egg and the panko. As for the dashi-soy base, I feel that it is lacking depth. I wonder if there is a missing ingredient or step that can improve its taste (any suggestions?). Hmmm….