Juicy Oven-Baked Katsudon Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl

Katsudon is famous Japanese meal which is basically a steamed white rice bowl topped with deep fried pork cutlet that is mixed with dashi broth and egg. For this recipe of katsudon pork cutlet rice bowl, instead of deep frying it, I bake the pork cutlets in the oven. This way, I can prepare more baked pork katsu to save some for later use. You can freeze the baked katsu or cooked pork cutlets for up to 3 months.

This oven-baked katsudon pork is delicious, juicy and savory that my kids cannot even resist. They are actually looking forward to it. It is one of my favorite weeknight menu ideas. I can prep and bake pork katsu over the weekend, freeze them and use the katsu later during the week.

The pork katsu by itself is already crunchy and savory the way it is, without the dashi broth and egg. You can also use some of these baked pork katsus and pour some curry over it to make an entirely different meal. The possibilities are endless. So, it is really a great menu item to meal prep your meals.

Tip: Add the dashi broth/egg mixture when you are about to consume it. This is to make sure that the pork katsu will be still somewhat crunchy.

Ingredients:

Pork Katsu

• 1 lb pork tenderloin – cut into ½ inch thick (will make about 6-7 cuts)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 1 cup panko
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil to brush

Dashi Broth/Egg-Mixture

• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons Hondashi
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 medium onion – thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 5 eggs
• Steamed rice
• 2 stalks green onion – chopped (to garnish)

Directions:

• Rub salt and pepper to each side of pork cutlets. Then, dredge the seasoned pork cutlets into the flour.
• In a mixing bowl, beat two eggs and mayo. Mix it well together.
• Then, dip the dredged pork cutlets into the egg-mayo mixture and coat them well.
• Next, coat the pork cutlets again onto the panko. Make sure that all surface of the cutlets is covered well.
• Line aluminum foil over your baking sheet. Brush olive oil over the foil.
• Place each cutlet on the foil and drizzle the remaining of olive oil on top of each cutlets. This is to ensure that the pork cutlets will be crispy and will not stick to the foil.
• Bake the pork cutlets under 350F for 45 minutes.
• Once the time is up, let the pork katsu cool down. (At this point, after cooling down, you can refrigerate the baked pork katsu in the freezer and reheat/re-bake for 8-10 minutes under 350F)
• Meanwhile, let’s make the dashi sauce and egg-mixture.
• In a sauce pan, add water, hondashi, sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. Cook until it is boiled.
• In a skillet, heat up olive oil under medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook until the onions are translucent and a bit caramelized.
• While waiting for the onions to cook, slice the pork katsu into smaller pieces. Also, beat the remaining eggs.
• Add the sliced pork katsu to the cooked onion in a skillet. Pour the dashi broth over it and pour the beaten egg over the katsu.
• Place a lid on the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes over low to medium heat.
• Serve it over steamed rice, garnish with chopped green onion and enjoy while it’s still hot!