Katsudon

Did You Know?

• The tonkatsu for katsudon is prepared by dipping the cutlet in flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs, and deep-frying.
• The dish is cooked by simmering sliced tonkatsu and beaten egg in a boiling broth of dashi, soy sauce and onions.

Variants

Other cutlet-and-rice bowls without eggs or stock may also be called katsudon. Sōsu katsudon uses tonkatsu or Worcestershire sauce and is found in regions such as Fukui, Kōfu, Gunma, Aizuwakamatsu and Komagane. Demi katsudon, a specialty of Okayama, includes demi-glace and often green peas. Shōyu-dare katsudon features a soy sauce-based tare sauce in Niigata style. Misokatsu-don, a Nagoya favorite, uses hatchō miso sauce. Beef substitution yields gyū-katsu-don, while chicken katsu with egg is called oyako katsudon.

In culture

Japanese students often eat katsudon the night before a major test or entrance exam, as "katsu" is a homophone of the verb meaning "to win" or "to be victorious." In Japanese police films, a trope involves suspects confessing tearfully after eating katsudon and being asked about their mother's feelings. The gag of eating katsudon during interrogation remains popular in Japanese films, though as of 2019 police do not actually feed suspects during questioning.