Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)

Name: Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Ingredients: 3 -ounce chunk unpeeled fresh ginger, coarsely grated; 1/4 cup sake; 1/4 cup tamari; 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (1 to 2 lemons); 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each trimmed and cut into thirds; 227 grams (2 cups) cornstarch; 1 tablespoon shichimi togarashi (Japanese rice seasoning); 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil; 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (4 to 6 limes); 3 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar; 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce; 2 lemon grass stalks, trimmed, bottom 8 inches chopped; 1 large shallot, chopped; 3 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil; 1 serrano chili, stemmed and chopped; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger; 2 1/2 cups water; 2 ounces tamarind pulp; 5 tablespoons packed light brown sugar; 1/4 cup fish sauce; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 3 tablespoons lime juice (1 to 2 limes); Ground black pepper; 1/4 cup tamari; 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger; 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

6 steps

Prep:1hCook:30min

Updated at: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 18:48:18 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Moderate

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories5442.6 kcal (272%)

Total Fat548.9 g (784%)

Carbs90.7 g (35%)

Sugars35.4 g (39%)

Protein49.9 g (100%)

Sodium4024.9 mg (201%)

Fiber3.5 g (12%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

3 ouncefresh ginger

chunk, unpeeled, coarsely grated

¼ cupsake

¼ cuptamari

1 tablespoonlemon zest

grated, 1 to 2 lemons

2 poundsboneless skinless chicken thighs

each trimmed and cut into thirds

227 gramscornstarch

1 tablespoonshichimi togarashi

1 teaspoonground black pepper

2 quartspeanut oil

or vegetable

Instructions

Step 1

To make the chicken, gather the ginger in your hands and squeeze as much juice as possible into a large bowl. Add the ginger solids to the bowl and stir in the sake, tamari and lemon zest. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Step 2

Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, shichimi togarashi and pepper. Working 1 piece at a time, remove the chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off, then dredge in the cornstarch mixture, pressing evenly to adhere on all sides. Transfer to the rack and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Step 3

In a 7-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil to 375ºF. Add a third of the chicken to the hot oil and fry, stirring to prevent sticking, until the chicken is deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean wire rack, return the oil to 375ºF and repeat twice with the remaining chicken. Serve with our tamari dipping sauce.

Step 4

Don’t let the chicken sit for longer than an hour after coating it before frying. It will get gummy.

Tamarind Dipping Sauce

Step 5

In a medium saucepan over medium, combine the lemon grass, shallot, oil and chili. Cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the water, tamarind and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the tamarind has softened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, stir in the fish sauce and soy sauce.

Step 6

Let the mixture cool slightly, then transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids; discard the solids. Stir in the lime juice, then taste and season with pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.