鶏の唐揚げ

Dear Reader,

Not wanting to waste the freshly grated ginger from the previous night's cooking.  I decided to make 鶏の唐揚げ (tori no karaage) for supper tonight.  It is a dish who's prep is to be done in 3 parts.

Without further ado...

Part I: The Soaking

 

• 3 boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs. Fat trimmed, cut into 3-4 pieces.
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce
• 2 TBSP Sake
• 3 tsp grated ginger

Step 1: All in! It's a marinade... there really isn't much to it. Just plop it all into a bowl, get your hand in there and mix it up.  Let it soak for at least 15 minutes.

Part II: The Coating

• Marinated Chicken
• 4 TBSP Corn Starch
• Frying Oil

Step 2: Remove the chicken from the marinade.  Drain as much of the liquid as possible but don't pat it dry. Wet chicken will make the next step stick.

 Step 3: Add the corn starch, toss it with your hand and make it sure each piece is coated as well as possible.

Note: Consistency of paste. Fun~

Step 4: Heat up of the oil (somewhere between Medium and Medium-High), the add the chicken pieces. Not all at once, just a few pieces at a time.

This is Medium-High, it was actually too hot

Note: Eating uncooked chicken is not recommended! If the oil is too hot the coating will burn before the insides are cooked.  However, if the heat is too low, the coating just soaks up the oil too much and the meat becomes hard also.  You know your stove the best, try it in small batches if you are uncertain.

Step 5: When the chicken is a nice golden brown. Remove from oil, and drain on paper towel.

Part III: The Dipping

• 1 TBSP Rice Vinegar
• 1 TBSP Soy Sauce
• A Dash of Sesame Oil
• T TBSP Grated Ginger
• A tiny pinch of Sugar
• 2 TBSP sliced Green Onion

Step 5: Combine part 3's ingredients

 Step 6: Heat up the sauce

Step 7: Add the well drained crispy chicken and toss it around.  The coating will soak up the sauce.

Step 8: Plate up and Enjoy!

Additional Comments and Notes:

1. The dipping sauce isn't necessary.  It's actually pretty good just fried.  The vinegar does add a nice punch.
2. I've tried to make this with chicken breast.  It works.  However, I personally found it a little too tough, it is a personal preference though.
3. The green cooked green onion flavor is a little lost so I decided to add some fresh sliced green onion both for aesthetic appeal and flavor. 
4. My thought: I wonder how toasted white sesame would be added as a topping... I should try it, huh.

Ingenuously,
Tappy