Katsudon

For my blog I typically try to showcase foods that are unique and "fancy" but relatively easy to make, but always creating complex dishes can be tiring and  makes it hard to keep posting regularly. Today I thought I would show off the types of things I make when I'm in a hurry and just want to use things I have in the kitchen. Today that is Katsu-don. 

Katsu-don is a Japanese dish in which a fried pork or chicken cutlet is cooked with onions and dashi-stock and served over rice. Often this is presented in a nice box or tray and makes a pretty simple meal. I personally consider it Japanese comfort food and it's one of my favorite quick meals I can whip up in about 30 minutes. 

The first step in making katsu-don is making a fried chicken cutlet! Traditionally I think pork works the best for this dish but I only had chicken breast so I used chicken and it turned out just as tasty! Unfortunately I didn't document the cutlet preparation but I will describe it in detail.

Take 1 - 2 chicken breasts and pound them until flat to help speed up cooking process. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare dredging station with 3 separate containers. One containing all purpose flour, the second with 2 eggs lightly beaten, and the third with panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs that are available in most supermarkets). You can use other types of breadcrumbs but you won't get as crispy of a crust as you get with panko. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour, then the egg, then the panko to form a nice crust. Make sure you shake off excess between each dredging and get ready to fry!

Heat up your favorite cast iron skillet or other frying pan over medium heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom with about a 1/4 inch'' of oil. You really don't need a lot of oil as we aren't really deep frying but pan frying. 

Once the oil is hot add the breaded cutlets and fry on each side about 4-5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. It should hopefully look something like this:  

Golden brown and delicious!

Now you basically have friend chicken! Now to make katsudon we just have to cook them in eggs and serve over rice! I started first by cutting each cutlet into pieces to create bite sized pieces.

Clean out your skillet and add about 1 cup of chicken stock (dashi stock would be even better) over medium heat.

Boring looking but the first step towards greatness!

Next you want to add about 1/2 cup of chopped onions. I left my onions in pretty big pieces because they will be simmered in stock and will get pretty soft so I like having some substance to them. Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the stock mixture and stir to combine.

Here you could add other ingredients if desired like garlic, mirin, or more sugar if desired but I decided to keep it simple and quick tonight. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the onions soften and absorb that delicious flavored stock.

Once you have your "onion soup" cooked, nestle the cooked chicken cutlet into the skillet between the onions. Lightly beat 3 eggs and slowly pour it all over the skillet trying to evenly disperse it throughout the pan. 

Cover the egg/chicken mix and again cover and simmer for 1-3 minutes or until egg is cooked. The crust on the chicken may soften a little bit and will absorb all the delicious flavors of the onions, stock, and soy sauce. 

Once you have your finished product, it should be simple to cut and simply lay over a bowl of rice. I had some leftover sushi rice from a another recent cooking party. While not the most fancy or pretty dishes this is by far one of the easiest and simple things I like to cook and do it at a moments notice. I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Katsu-don

Ingredients

For chicken cutlets:

- 1 or 2 chicken breasts

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup all purpose flour

- 2 cups Japanese bread crumbs (Panko)

- salt and pepper

- oil for frying

1. Lightly pound each chicken breast flat to help speed up cooking

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper

3. Dredge in flour, then egg, then in panko breadcrumbs making sure to shake off excess between dredgings

4. Heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until a droplet of water sizzles in oil

5. Pan fry each cutlet for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through

6. Dry each piece of chicken on paper towels to remove excess oil

7. Cut chicken into bite sized strips to allow easier consumption later

For katsu-don:

- 1 cup chicken stock (dashi stock is even better)

- 3 eggs

- 1 tablespoon soy sauce

- 1 teaspoon sugar

- 1/2 cup onion, chopped

- 2 cups of cooked rice to serve on top of (I used sushi rice)

1. Heat 1 cup of chicken stock over medium heat

2. Add chopped onions, sugar, and soy sauce to stock and stir to combine

3. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until onions are softened and absorb stock

4. Nestle chicken cutlets in-between onions

5. Lightly beat 3 eggs and pour over dish making sure to evenly disperse egg

6. Cover and simmer for about 3 minutes or until egg is cooked and chicken changes color from absorbing stock

7. Fill a serving bowl with rice to form a nice bed to top with chicken

8. Carefully move chicken from pan and top bed of rice with chicken

9. Serve immediately and enjoy!