rice again

Despite never having been to Japan, Katsudon is one of my favorite dishes to serve up in China. 1. Because the ingredients are readily available, 2. because it’s really easy to cook and 3. Its immensely satisfying, hearty and easy to emulate that restaurant flavour I loved back in New Zealand.

A katsudon is a popular Japanese food, a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, and condiments. Variations include sauce katsudon (with Worcestershire sauce), demi katsudon (with demi-glace and often green peas, a specialty of Okayama), shio katsudon (with salt, another Okayama variety), sh?yu-dare katsudon (with soy sauce, Niigata style), and miso katsudon (a favorite in Nagoya). Beef and chicken can substitute for the pork.

Source Wikipedia

INGREDIENTS:

Two large rice bowls 2/3 full of quality steamed rice
2 pieces breaded pork of chicken fillet
1/2 an onion
1-2 cups of chicken broth
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirin
1 tsp sugar
2 eggs

1. Heat some vegetable oil (enough to cover what ever you will be frying) in your wok until it spits back when you flick water at it. I think it’s supposed to be 180 degrees celsius or something, but how the hell are you going to measure that?

Add the breaded meat fillets and deep fry until golden brown and crispy.

Remove, drain oil and slice the fillets into strips.

2. Mix mirin, soy sauce and sugar with the broth in a Wok of Skillet. Simmer.

3. Slice onion thinly. Add to the simmering sauce. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until onion is soft.

4. Add deep fried meat strips and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes making sure they are totally covered by the sauce.

5. Beat your eggs and pour into the sauce stirring as you pour.

6. Serve over steamed rice.

Notes: Experiment with the egg/sauce/meat/rice ratio to get the consistency you like. Easily scalable for any number of people, add one egg per fillet or more if you prefer.