Preparing Chicken karaage: Japanese fried chicken, aka chicken karaage, is very popular in Japan. It’s often served with a pickled vegetable, and Shuko’s version also has a simple fresh leek sauce. If you want to make the radish pickle you’ll need to plan two days ahead.
Ingredients
For the radish pickle
- 2g piece dried kombu
- 120ml/4fl oz rice vinegar
- 50g/1¾oz sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 bunch English radishes, washed, dried and halved lengthways
For the chicken karaage
- 15g/½oz piece fresh root ginger
- 50ml/2fl oz soy sauce
- 25ml/1fl oz sake
- 600g/1lb 5oz skinless and boneless chicken thighs or legs, cut into 5cm/2in cubes
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 40g/1½oz potato starch
For the negi sauce
- ½ leek (the white end), finely chopped
- 1 bunch (20g/¾oz) chives, finely chopped
- 15g/½oz unpeeled piece fresh root ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp roasted sesame oil
Method
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To make the radish pickle, first soak the kombu in 180ml/6fl oz water overnight.
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Take the kombu out of the water and set aside. Pour the soaking water into a small pan with the rice vinegar, sugar and salt, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then leave to cool.
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Slice the kombu into thin strips. Submerge the radishes and kombu strips in the brine and leave in the fridge to pickle for at least 8 hours or overnight.
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To make the chicken karaage, squeeze the grated ginger into a bowl (discard the ginger flesh after squeezing). Mix in the soy sauce and sake, add the chicken and marinate for 20 minutes.
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To make the negi sauce, mix the leek, chives and ginger in a small bowl, along with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil.
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Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 170C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
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Discard most of the marinade, leaving a little at the bottom of the bowl, and mix in the potato starch. Turn the chicken pieces to ensure they are thoroughly coated. The meat should be a little sticky, but still powdery.
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Put the chicken into the hot oil, one piece at a time, and fry in small batches for 4 minutes until golden brown.
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Using a slotted spoon, lift the chicken out of the oil and set aside for 5 minutes while you increase the temperature of the oil to 190C.
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Fry the chicken for a further 2 minutes until crisp. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper, then serve hot, with the sauce and pickles on the side.