Katsudon--Japanese Style Cutlets

We made this recipe months ago (From my Cuisine at Home magazine) and I thought I had blogged it already. My kids LOVED IT! This Japanese cuisine is wonderful and delightful for the taste buds. Katsudon I learned is part of the "donburi" family which means "rice bowls". So this is Japanese style "fast food". Cooking ethnic dishes almost always requires a few ingredients that most cooks don't have on hand. There are two in this recipe that may require you to make a trip down the Asian section of your grocery store or to your Asian market. If you don't have Mirin and panko on hand you can replace them with dry sherry cooking wine and regular bread crumbs. It will still taste great, but you must promise me you will try to use the authentic ingredients sometimes just to taste the real deal!

Prepare:

1/2 lb. pork loin cutlets, or Chicken breast or Turkey tenderloin

1 1/2 cups raw medium-grain rice

Simmer:

2 cups yellow onion, sliced thinly

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup mirin

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tablespoons sugar

4 slice fresh ginger

Bread Cutlets in:

6 eggs, lightly beaten (I thought this was over kill--use 4 if you need more then crack them.)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Heavy pinch black pepper

2-3 cups panko crumbs

Fry in:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Serve cutlets with prepared rice and chopped scallions

Prepare pork for cutlets. Cook rice as directed on package and keep warm until serving.

Simmer onion, broth, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger in a large saute pan over med-low heat until onion is soft, 15 minutes.

Before breading the cutlets, beat the eggs in a shallow dish (like a pie plate), mix flour, salt, and pepper in a second dish, and place the panko in a third dish.

Bread cutlets by first dredging both sides in flour mixture then dipping into the egg, and following with the panko. Then "double bread," dipping into the egg, then panko again. Transfer to a rack or plate until ready to fry. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a second saute pan.

Fry cutlets in batches, browning on both sides until cooked through, 6-8 minutes total. Transfer cutlets to a cooling rack set over paper towels to drain.

To serve, place 2 cutlets in the simmering broth; cook 1 minute to warm through. Remove and slice cutlets, place on top of some rice, ladle with broth, and sprinkle with scallions.

I like to serve this with a simple mix of green lettuces and julienned carrots with an Ginger Asian Dressing (Like you would have in a Japanese restaurant.)