Katsudon – My Hero Academia

Katsudon is one of the most popular comfort foods in Japan. It’s a dish made with a breaded and fried pork cutlet, onions, and egg, all simmered in a sweet and savory soy sauce-based broth, and served over rice. It shows up a lot in My Hero Academia as Deku’s favorite meal.

Ingredients

[ Tonkatsu / Pork Cutlet ]

• 1  pork shoulder loin
• a little salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp flour
• ¼ beaten egg
• ½ cups panko / breadcrumbs
• 1 cup oil

[ Broth ]

• 50 ml (1/5 cup) dashi broth (You can use either homemade dashi or granulated dashi.)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ medium onion

[ To Serve ]

• 2 egg
• 1 bowl cooked rice
• mitsuba leaf / spring onion / nori seaweed / parsley as your choice

Directions

[ To Make Broth ]

1. The recipe for making dashi broth is explained in detail in the link.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the dashi broth, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to a light boil.

[ To Prepare ]

1. Slice the onion.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl.

[ To Make Tonkatsu ]

1. To prevent the pork from curling up, use a knife to cut the border between the fat and lean. Be careful not to cut all the way through, or the flavor and oil of the meat will be lost.
2. Using your fingers, massage the meat to soften it. If there are any hard parts, use a knife to cut the tendons.
3. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Sift the flour and sprinkle it evenly on both sides, then remove the excess flour.
5. Dip in beaten egg.
6. Dredge in panko and press gently. It doesn’t have to be fluffy because the panko will pop up during deep frying.

[ To Deep Fry ]

1. Heat oil in a deep pot or pan to 180ºC (350ºF).
2. Place a piece of panko or a wooden chopstick in the oil. When small bubbles appear around it, the oil is ready for frying.
3. Add the pork. Fry for 3 minutes on each side or until crispy and golden brown. If you over-fry it, the meat will lose its moisture and become less juicy and dry.
4. Take out the pork and remove excess oil by holding it vertically for a few seconds. Place it on a wire rack or paper towel and let it sit for 5 minutes.
5. Cut the pork cutlet into 4-5 pieces by pressing the knife straight down instead of moving it back and forth.

[ To Finish ]

1. Serve the rice in a donburi bowl.
2. In a small frying pan (a frying pan for katsudon or oyakodon is recommended), add the dashi broth and onions you have prepared, and place over low heat. If possible, cover the frying pan with a lid to prevent the broth from evaporating too quickly.
3. When the onions are cooked, pour in the beaten egg evenly.
4. When the egg is half-cooked, add the cutlet. Simmer for about 1 minute on low heat, then place it on top of the rice.
5. Garnish with mitsuba leaf, spring onion, or parsley, if desired.