Katsudon

I was watching an episode of Good Eats the other night about flattened meats and it mentioned Katsudon, a Japanese dish that gets its name from combining Katsu (cutlet in Japanese), with donburi (Japanese for rice-bowl-dish).

A typical "katsu" dish is Tonkatsu, which is a pork cutlet, "Ton" meaning pork, and "katsu" obviously cutlet. Similar to the Austrian Wiener Schnitzel, though using pork instead of veal, it is pounded nearly flat, then coated in panko breading and fried.

The little teriyaki restaurant done the street from my work has a great Chicken Katsu dish. Super thin chicken breast coated in panko crumbs and fried nice crispy, golden brown and served over rice with a sweet, sour, teriyaki type dipping sauce.

Katsuden can also be made with beef, though it seems to be less popular than pork or chicken.

Whatever type of katsu you make, the recipe is pretty much the same:
flatten the meat out very thin
dredge in seasoned flour, then in egg, then in panko breading
deep fry or pan fry until golden brown

What sets katsudon apart is the sauce. In my experience it's similar to teriyaki sauce, but with more depth of flavor. I found this recipe on the internet, and I haven't tried it yet but I will next time I make tonkatsu and will report back.

Tonkatsu sauce

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons cooking wine
• 4 tablespoons mirin (optional)*
• 2.5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 & 1/3 cup chicken/vegetable stock or water
• 1 & 1/3 cup thinly-sliced onions

Add all ingredients to a small stock-pot over medium heat and simmer for a few minutes, until thickened, stirring often.

* Mirin is a rice wine similar to Sake, though with lower alcohol content. It should be available in most grocery stores that have an Asian section.

Once you have the katsu, the sauce and some rice made, you're ready to make Katsudon.

Add a serving of rice to a bowl, cut the katsu into strips and place on top of the rice, you can add some steamed veggies if you like, then drizzle on some of the sauce. 

I realize this picture isn't in a bowl, but you get the idea...