Miso Katsudon (味噌カツ丼, Nagoya miso-glazed pork cutlet over rice)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy pot or deep frying pan
• •Cooking thermometer
• •Wire draining rack
• •Three shallow breading trays
• •Donburi bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pork

   Trim any thick silver skin from the pork and make three or four shallow cuts through the fat edge so the cutlets don't curl in the oil. Pound them lightly to an even thickness, then season both sides with salt and white pepper. Even thickness matters because the pork and crust should finish together, the meat just cooked as the panko turns crisp.

2. 2

   Make the tare

   Put the hatcho miso, dashi, mirin, sake, sugar, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Whisk over low heat until smooth, then simmer gently for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep the heat modest. Hatcho miso has depth, but hard boiling turns that depth harsh.

   Taste the tare while it is warm. It should be dark, sweet-salty, and slightly bitter at the edge. If it tastes flat, add a spoonful of dashi before you reach for more sugar.
3. 3

   Bread the cutlets

   Set out three shallow trays: flour, beaten egg, and panko. Dust each cutlet lightly with flour and shake off the excess, dip it fully in egg, then press it into the panko so the crumbs cling in an even coat. Too much flour makes a paste under the crust; a thin dusting gives the egg something to hold.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Heat 4 to 5cm of neutral oil in a heavy pot to 170 C. If you don't have a thermometer, drop in a few panko crumbs; they should sink slightly, rise at once, and bubble steadily without browning immediately. This temperature gives the pork time to cook before the crumbs darken.

5. 5

   Fry the katsu

   Lower the cutlets into the oil one at a time, laying them away from you. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the crust is pale gold and crisp and the pork reaches 63 C in the center. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, because air under the crust keeps it crisp while the meat rests.

   Listen to the oil. A steady, lively bubble is right. If the sound becomes violent, the crust browns before the pork is ready; if it goes quiet, the cutlet drinks oil.
6. 6

   Slice cleanly

   Rest the cutlets for 3 minutes, then slice each into 5 or 6 pieces with a sharp knife. Cut straight down rather than sawing. The crust stays neater, and the pork keeps its juices instead of smearing them into the crumbs.

7. 7

   Build the bowls

   Divide the hot rice between two donburi bowls and tuck a small bed of shredded cabbage to one side or across the rice. Lay the sliced katsu on top with a little height, keeping the bowl full but not crowded. Spoon the warm miso tare over the cutlet in a few deliberate lines, leaving some crisp edges uncovered.

8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Scatter toasted sesame seeds over the sauce and add a small dab of karashi if you like its clean heat. Serve at once, while the crust still speaks under the tare and the rice is hot enough to catch what drips down.

Chef Tips

• •Use hatcho miso if you can find it. A lighter rice miso will make a pleasant sauce, but it won't be the Nagoya dish; the dark soybean miso is the whole personality here.
• •Fresh panko gives a lighter crust than dry crumbs. If yours feels very dry, mist it lightly with water and toss it before breading. The crumbs should cling and stand up, not pack down like sand.
• •Don't bury the katsu in sauce. Brush or spoon the tare over the sliced cutlet and leave some crisp ridges showing. The dish is rich enough without drowning itself.
• •Shred the cabbage as finely as you can and rinse it briefly in cold water, then drain it well. It should be crisp and clean, not wet, because the cabbage is there to sharpen the bowl.
• •For dashi, make a quick ichiban dashi from konbu and katsuobushi. Don't use instant granules in the tare if you can help it; when the sauce has so few parts, every shortcut announces itself.

Advance Preparation

• •The hatcho-miso tare can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently with a spoonful of dashi to loosen it before serving.
• •The cabbage can be shredded a few hours ahead, rinsed, drained, and kept covered in the refrigerator with a barely damp towel.
• •Bread the pork just before frying. If it sits too long, the flour and egg soften the panko and the crust loses its clean bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)