Katsudon

Photo: flickr user jetalone

Ingredients

8 cups Hot cooked short-grained white rice

4 Pork loin cutlets (6 oz ea)

Salt and pepper

6 tablespoons Flour

2 Eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups Breadcrumbs

Oil for deep frying

1 small Onion

2 1/2 cups Dashi

7 tablespoons Mirin

3 tablespoons Light soy sauce

3 tablespoons Dark soy sauce

4 Green onions, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths

6 Eggs, beaten

Preparation

Pound the cutlets with a mallet to flatten slightly. Slash fat at edge of cutlets to keep the meat from curling during deep frying. Salt and pepper both sides. Dust with flour , dip in beaten egg, and coat both sides thickly with day old or fresh breadcrumbs, Let rest 2-3 minutes before deep frying. Heat a generous amount of oil in a heavy bottomed pot or deep-fryer to medium temperature(340 degrees), and deep-fry cutlets one at a time, turning once, till golden brown, about 6 minutes each. Remove, drain on absorbent paper, and

Meanwhile slice onion into rounds or half-moons and in a large frying pan in a scant amount of oil, saute onion over high heat till transparent and soft. Add dashi, mirin and soy sauces to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Add the green onions. Finally pour the beaten egg over the simmering onions.

Stir when the egg begins to set. the egg is done while still a little runny and juicy. (Do not cook egg until hard and dry) You want the juices to seep sown in to the rice in the bowl from the egg topping.

To assemble and serve: Put a single portion of hot rice (1 1/2-2 cups) into a donburi-type bowl. Neatly arrange a sliced cutlet to cover half the rice. Use fried onion and egg topping to cover part of the cutlet and the rest of the rice. Use all the liquid. Serve immediately.

Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji (Kodansha) p 445