TORI NO KARA-AGE

Deep-fried marinade Chicken

I think this is my sons' most favorite dish for lunch-boxes.

Photos: 1997/02/24 , Made on: 1997/09/15

Reference books: none

Years ago, it was hard work to prepare deep-fry cooking. I couldn't make time and maintain proper temperature for that, that's why I didn't cook deep-fried things for years. To measure temperature is my work in my company, so that's the problem. I am a professional person for that, so I think I have to do that perfectly with technical skills. And also I have all these technical tools in my office, but just thinking about the trouble, taking the tools to my home would be is very depressing. Make sure the temperature, flame, and calorie are correct is also makes me feel tired. I don't want to use a normal (plane) thermometer. Therefore I didn't cook deep-fried things for years. But my sons'dem　and for eating deep-fry things at lunch time was getting stronger, so I felt compelled to cook it. When I cook without a written recipe, I feel like I'm cooking without any utensils. I think this is how a newlywed housewife must feel.

I use wooden chopsticks to measure temperature after all. (Put the cooking chopsticks in the heated oil. When air bubbles rises from the chopsticks, it's time to fry.) It's a little old fashion idea, but useful. Now I learned from a lot of experience.

Other recipes suggest using egg yolks for deep-fried chicken but I think that the taste becomes weak and unclear, so I don't use egg yolks.

Ingredients (Serves: 4)

750-800 g chicken thigh (boneless)

2 tablespoons soy-sauce

1 tablespoon grated ginger-juice

2 tablespoons Sake

0.5-1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2-2.5 tablespoons Katakuriko (potato starch)

1 piece of sliced garlic

For lunch-boxes, I don't use garlic. Once I tried, but when my son opened his lunch-box the garlic smell spreaded out into his classroom, immediately. "Please never ever put it again " that's his word. But he loves the garlicfull taste at home.

Cooking
time
(min.) Pictures Comments

10
-
15
Preparation

Trim any excess fat and skin from the chicken like the left picture. Chop into small pieces for lunch-boxes. Grate a piece of ginger like in the middle of the left picture. The amount will be just about 1 tablespoon of ginger-juice. When you need ginger-juice, it's better using ginger with the skin. Add salt, soy-sauce, Sake, and sesame oil and mix well. Add Katakuriko and mix well.
I do this preparation at night. Some reference books suggest to marinate it for 20-30 minutes, but I think it's better to marinate chicken overnight. The idea comes from just my feeling. And also it's easier in the morning, isn't it? If you prepare it before, you just fry it in the morning. When you cook a lot of fried chicken in the morning, it might be a dish for breakfast.

8
-
10
Deep-fry

Preheat oil on medium heat (160 C). Deep-fry chicken until golden brown, sometimes check the surface color. The time for frying is about 3-5 minutes. If you wonder if the chicken is well cooked, cut one piece of chicken to check doneness. When I started cooking deep-fried chicken, I use to do that and check the connection of the cooking time. Nowadays while deep-flying chicken I can cook other dishes. Continuation becomes proficiency.