Miso Katsudon 味噌カツ丼 Panko Crumbed Chicken With Nagoya Miso Rice Bowl

If you are a fan of katsu (panko crumb cutlet) and a lover of miso then you are going to go crazy over this specialty from Nagoya. This is a refreshing change from the usual katsu don (pork cutlet rice bowl ) or katsu kare (cutlet rice bowl with Japanese curry sauce) that we adore but I must admit I am now a convert.

Apart from being extremely curious about how this particular sauce would go with my beloved fried cutlet, it was also an opportunity for me to road test Hiro's way of cutlet crumbing. Instead of the usual flour/egg/breadcrumbs method, a simple batter is made to consolidate the first two stages, making the whole process a lot less messy and the best thing is the leftover batter can be used to make the tastiest onion fritters like those she made when I was at her place last. I will show you how to do make those onion fritters next meanwhile you can read about that particular lunch at Hiro here.

P.S If you are unable to find Nagoya miso, Hatcho or a regular red miso will do the trick but do taste the sweetness and saltiness of the miso and adjust the taste accordingly to get the balance right.

serves 2 as a one dish meal
you'll need;
2 skinless chicken thighs or 1 chicken breast*, flatten with kitchen mallet
a handful of snow peas, topped and tailed, blanched
a handful of mix salad leaves
cooked Japanese rice to serve
pickled ginger to serve
*if using chicken breast, click here to see how it is handled.

for the batter;
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbs of water
5 tbs of self rising flour
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of sugar

for the miso sauce;
1 heaped tbs of Nagoya or red miso
1 heaped tbs of mirin
1 tbs of Japanese soy
1 tbs of instant dashi powder
1 tbs of sugar
1/2 cup of water
1/2 tbs of toasted sesame seeds (if using red miso)

To crumb the chicken - coat it with the batter, drain off excess then coat it with panko. Do not discharge the leftover batter, I will show you how to make the tastiest onion fritters using that.

Fry crumbed chicken until golden and crispy, drain well on absorbent paper. Slice just before serving.

To prepare the sauce - place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer and cook until syrupy, check for seasonings.

Place cutlet over a bed of steamed Japanese rice and spoon over some of the miso sauce. You will also need some greens to counter the very rich sauce.