Cold Weather Comfort Food: Spilled Milk #294

Tender and sweet, this chicken katsudon is like a hug in a bowl.

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Let’s get our terms straight first: Katsudon is fried pork cutlet over rice with onions, egg and a dashi-based sauce, tonkatsu is the breaded, deep-fried cutlet itself. And my dish for today? Chicken katsudon. I love the dish with pork, but hey, they didn’t have the quality of chop I like when I went to the store, and I was craving katsudon, so I made it with chicken. It’s about as comforting to eat as any meal I know.

Katsudon is a beloved Japanese dish with a story that reflects both the evolution of Japanese cuisine and the cultural influences of the time. The dish itself consists of a bowl of rice topped with a breaded and fried pork cutlet (tonkatsu), which is then simmered with egg and a flavorful sauce. Its origins trace back to the Meiji era (1868-1912), a period marked by the introduction of Western culinary techniques and ingredients into Japanese cooking. And it works great with chicken, duck, anything you can fry cutlet style.

There is a great technique to learn that is beyond easy. Katsudon is classified as a “drop lid” dish or "otoshi buta," a cooking method that is distinctive in Japanese cuisine. This technique involves placing a lid directly on/over the ingredients during cooking, allowing steam to circulate and gently simmer the food. The result is a tender cutlet that absorbs the flavors of the broth while retaining its juiciness. This method PERFECTLY exemplifies the Japanese philosophies of simplicity and harmony in cooking, emphasizing the natural flavors of each ingredient.

Another crucial element in Japanese cuisine is “dashi,” a simple stock made from simmering ingredients like kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). Dashi forms the foundation of many Japanese dishes, including the broth used to simmer the onions and steam the eggs and cutlet in a katsudon. It’s umami-dense, with a deep flavor that enhances the dish by tying it all together into a balanced and satisfying meal. The use of dashi also reflects the broader principle of simplicity in Japanese cooking; the focus is on high-quality ingredients and straightforward preparation methods that highlight natural flavors without excessive complexity.

Beyond that, it’s just so fucking delicious and is one of those incredible dishes that people order at restaurants and never make at home despite how easy and FOOLPROOF it is.

If you have never made it before, you will master this dish the first time out, I promise you.

Recipe: Chicken Katsudon