Gingery Fried Chicken Kara Age Recipes

JAPANESE CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN - KARA-AGE

Steps:

• Cut chicken in bite size pieces. In a plastic container or large ziploc bag, combine grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce and Sake.
• Put the chicken in the marinade and mix chicken well. Put the chicken in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a deep frying pan or a wok, heat vegetable oil to 180 degree Celsius or 350°F
• Dust the chicken with potato starch and fry in the oil until golden. To make them really crispy, lift chicken from the oil with chopsticks or tongs from time to time so that the chicken will be aired out (so to speak).

KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Mix garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper, cayenne, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Place chicken in the marinade and mix until thoroughly and evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 10 hours.
• Set up your dredging station: Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Add potato starch to a wide, shallow bowl.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Stir to coat with marinade. Toss 2 or 3 pieces at a time in the potato starch until evenly coated. Shake off any excess starch and place chicken on the wire rack. Repeat to dredge remaining pieces.
• Tap the rack on the baking sheet to remove any loose chunks of starch, then transfer the baking sheet and rack of chicken to the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Without crowding, lower chicken carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry, tossing occasionally, until cooked through and the outside is crunchy and browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN KARAAGE WITH ONION GINGER RELISH

Steps:

• Massage chicken pieces with 1/2 tsp salt (to remove any unpleasant smell) and wash under cold running water and pat dry.
• If using bone in chicken legs, cut thigh meat (not skin side)in several areas to make leg sections lay flatter. Using the dull side of knife, pound slightly to flatten more. If using boneless chicken thighs, pound lightly to flatten for quick frying.
• Combine marinade/coating mixture thoroughly in a large bowl and marinate chicken for 30 minutes. Because this coating is thick, it is best to use your hand to coat the chicken pieces. In Asia, we call these types of coating marinades as simply marinades since it does impart taste to the food being marinated.
• While chicken is marinating, make vinegar sauce by combining all sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Make relish by combining all relish ingredients and set aside.
• With ample oil (about 1 inch in depth) in a wok or deep fryer, heat oil to medium high. Fry chicken turning them occasionally and adjust heat for even frying. They are done when nicely browned and crunchy, and no longer red in the center. This takes approximately 30-40 minutes for bone-in leg sections and about 15-20 minutes for boneless thigh sections. Timing will depend on how high the temperature is.
• Remove and cut in bite size pieces using a cleaver for bone in chicken or cut in bite size pieces using a regular kitchen knife for boneless chicken. Usually one leg section will yield 4 to 5 cut sections. Arrange on large platter and drizzle vinegar sauce over the chicken pieces and arrange a mound of relish on top.

TORI NO KARA-AGE (DEEP FRIED CHICKEN NUGGETS)

Steps:

• In a medium sized bowl, mix together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken in the mixture and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Mix the corn flour with the plain flour.
• Take each piece of chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until it is coated completely.
• Heat the oil to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) and deep-fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve on a bed of salad garnished with a lemon.

KARA-AGE - JAPANESE STYLE FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Grate the ginger and squeeze it over a bowl to extract it's juices. Add the sake or wine and soya.
• Cut the chicken thighs into four chunks and rub well with the marinade, then set aside in the marinade for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil slowly for 165-170oC/330-340oF. Pat the chicken dry on paper towel. When the oil is hot, dust the chicken generously with cornflour and lower the pieces into the oil. To maintain the oil temperature, do not add too many chicken pieces at once. Deep fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 mins, until crisp, golden and cooked through.
• Halve on chicken piece to make sure it is cooked inside. Drain the rest of the chicken, then serve hot or cold.
• Garnished with salad leaves.

TORI KARA AGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients in a pan and heat, whilst stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Bottle up when cooled.

GINGERY FRIED CHICKEN APPETIZER

Steps:

• *NOTE: Substitute 2 tablespoon apple juice or white grape juice for non-alcoholic version.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine the wine, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Cover chicken and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
• In large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 cup water. Stir the marinated chicken into the batter.
• Pour some oil to a depth of about 1/4 inch into a deep, heavy frying pan or wok over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken, a few pieces at a time; do not crowd. Cook the meat until crisp and brown, approximately 3-4 minutes each side.
• Place the cooked chicken on a tray lined with a paper towel and drain. Transfer to serving platter and garnish with green onion slices.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

GINGERY FRIED CHICKEN (KARA AGE)

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into pieces about one inch square. In a shallow bowl, combine the soy sauce and sake, then stir in the grated fresh ginger. Lay the clove of garlic on your cutting board and whack it with the flat side of a broad-bladed knife or cleaver to loosen the skin. Remove the skin and place the smashed clove in the bottom of the bowl of marinade. Add the chicken pieces and let them marinate 20 minutes at room temperature or up to 8 hours covered and refrigerated.
• Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in another shallow bowl or pan. Lift the pieces of chicken, one at a time, from the marinade and dredge them in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour and remove the coated chicken to a plate, letting it stand for 5 minutes. During this time the coating will absorb some of the marinade and the pieces will change from white to a beige color.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees (a pinch of the dredging mixture will sizzle inmmediately on the surface of the oil without burning) and fry the chicken pieces in batches of 4-5 each, for less than a minute. This first frying will seal the outer surfaces with a light-colored crust. Drain the chicken well on paper towels and lower the temperature of the oil to about 325 degrees (a pinch of the dredging mixture will sink slightly before sizzling). Re-fry the chicken, this time in batches of 6-7 pieces each, for 3-4 minutes. Drain the chicken again on paper towels, and serve it hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.