Crispy pork cutlet simmered in runny egg with a dashi broth, and served over hot steamed rice, this Baked Katsudon recipe is the rice bowl of your dream! Learn how to make the best crunchy cutlet without deep frying. It’s going to be your new favorite weeknight meal.
Are you a big fan of Japanese deep-fried pork cutlet Tonkatsu? Then don’t miss out on this simple and delicious donburi –Katsudon (カツ丼). True soul food of Japan, Katsudon is said to have the ability to warm the coldest of hearts. Case in point: Irresistibly juicy cutlet, creamy eggs, and steamed rice soaked in a savory sauce, Katsuson is nothing but pure comfort.
The cutlets typically get its crunchy texture from deep frying, but today we’re going to take the mess-free route and make Baked Katsudon (揚げないカツ丼). Follow my simple tips, you’ll be able to achieve the same golden katsu for your rice bowl. I promise the baked version is just as good as deep-fried.
Watch How To Make Baked Katsudon
3 Secrets to Make Delicious Baked Katsudon
1. Pre-Toast The Panko Breadcrumbs
Before breading the pork cutlets, pre-toast the panko in a frying pan until nicely brown. Since we’re not deep frying the cutlets, this step is the golden trick in achieving beautiful crust and crunchy texture for the baked tonkatsu.
I use the same technique for my Baked Tonkatsu or Baked Chicken Katsu recipes.
2. Make One Serving At a Time
When making Donburi dishes like Katsudon and Oyakodon, we make one serving at a time using a special Oyakodon Pan (親子丼鍋). This way, you can keep the balance of ingredients and distribute them evenly. It also makes it easier to transfer the cooked food over to the rice as the size of the cooking pan is similar to a donburi bowl.
In this recipe/ video, I used my mom’s Oyakodon pan that I found in her kitchen last summer. I brought it home with me and I’m happy that I could use it in this recipe.
However, my mom’s pan is smaller and shallower than what we can get these days. So I got a brand new Oyakodon pan with a lid (picture above). Alternatively, you can use a 5-6 inch pan instead.
3. Use Good Dashi
When you make Katsudon sauce, it’s important to use good dashi. I highly recommend making your own dashi, but if you’re too busy, you can use a dashi packet. It still tastes better than dashi made with dashi powder.
Donburi – The Ultimate Comfort Food
If rice bowl is your type of dinner, you will enjoy this Baked Katsudon as much as I do. The contrast of juicy panko-crusted pork, sautéed onion, soft eggs, fluffy steamed rice, and a flavorful sauce, all come together to deliver a bowl of deliciousness.
For more mouthwatering Japanese fried foods in baked versions, try out my Baked Croquettes and Baked Chicken Katsu recipes!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Baked Katsudon (Japanese Crispy Baked Cutlet Rice Bowl)
Video
Ingredients
For Baked Katsu:
- 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc.)
- 2 pieces boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick) (4 oz, 113 g each)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 large egg (50 g w/o shell)
For Katsudon:
- ½ onion (divided; ¼ onion per serving)
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (divided; 1 egg per serving)
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice
For Katsudon Sauce (divided for each serving):
- 1 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more)
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
To Serve:
- mitsuba (Japanese parsley) (optional; can use chopped green onion/scallion)
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).
To Make Tonkatsu
- Combine the panko and oil in a frying pan and toast over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer panko into a shallow dish and allow to cool.
- Cut the onions into thin slices and the mitsuba into small pieces.
- Remove the extra fat and make a couple of slits on the connective tissue between the meat and fat. The red meat and fat have different elasticity, and when they are cooked they will shrink and expand at different rates. This will allow Tonkatsu to stay nice and flat and prevent it from curling up.
- Pound the meat with a meat pounder, or if you don’t have one then just use the back of a knife to pound. Mold the extended meat back into the original shape with your hands.
- Sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Dredge each pork piece in the flour to coat completely. Pat off the excess flour.
- Beat one egg in a bowl and coat the pork with the beaten egg. Finally, coat with the toasted panko. Press on the panko flakes to make sure they adhere to the pork.
- Place the pork on the prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper or even better if you have an oven-safe wire rack (as air goes through on the bottom so panko won't get crushed). Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) until the pork is no longer pink inside, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the tonkatsu from the oven and cut into 1-inch pieces (so you can eat with chopsticks).
To Prepare Sauce and Egg
- Combine Seasonings in a liquid measuring cup or bowl. This amount could be more than you need, depending on the frying pan size you decide to use. You can store the extra in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. Beat one egg in a bowl.
Why Do We Use Oyakodon Pan?
- In this step-by-step, I will show you how traditionally Katsudon is made in a 1-serving Oyakodon Pan Why? The size of the oyakodon pan is similar to donburi bowl size; therefore, it's easy to slide the cooked food over steamed rice in the bowl. You can make 2 servings at once in one large frying pan and carefully divide it, but each portion won't be a round shape to fit over the round rice bowl.
To Make Katsudon
- Put half of the onion slices into the pan and pour ½ to ¾ cup of the sauce to cover them. Adjust the amount of sauce based on your frying pan size. Bring the sauce and onions to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook onion slices until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Put one Baked Tonkatsu in it and turn the heat to medium high. Pour and distribute beaten egg evenly and cover with the lid.
- When the egg is half cooked, about 30 seconds, turn off the heat.
To Serve
- Serve rice in a donburi bowl and slide Tonkatsu and egg mixture on top. Continue with the second serving. Serve with shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) on the side.
Nutrition
More Delicious Donburi Rice Bowl Recipes You’ll Love:
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on July 26, 2017. It’s been edited and republished in May 2020.
