Name: Katsudon
Ingredients: 1/2 lb pork cutlets or chicken cutlets; 1 1/2 cups basmati rice; 2 onions, sliced; 2 cups chicken broth; 1/2 cup mirin; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons sugar; 4 slices ginger; 6 eggs, beaten; 1/4 cup flour; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste; 2-3 cups panko; 1/4 cup oil; chopped scallions (to garnish)

Why it works: Pork and chicken match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,417 recipes. Both carry 2-furfurylthiol, which smells coffee, roasted. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,417 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,814 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Onion + gingertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,595 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,214 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Chicken + gingertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,494 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pork cutlets or chicken cutlets: Forms the main protein, which is breaded and fried until browned and cooked through.
Eggs: Bind the flour and panko coating to the cutlet and help it set into a crisp crust.
Panko: Provides a coarse, dry crumb that fries up light and crunchy.
Basmati rice: Serves as the base that soaks up the sweet savory broth.
Onions: Soften and sweeten in the simmering broth, adding savory sweetness to the sauce.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savory depth and colour to the simmering broth.

The step that matters

Double dipping the cutlets. A second egg and panko coat builds a thicker, more even crust that holds up better during frying and resists sogginess from the broth.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, basmati rice, chicken, sauce, sugar, ginger, egg):

Capsicumfits better
Mustardfits about as well
Welsh onionfits about as well
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, basmati rice, chicken, sauce, sugar, ginger, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Pork	100g cooked	242
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Katsudon

Katsudon

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Bread and fry

Finish and serve

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)