Doing the pasta for Hoob was such a treat, and I know he’s had a hankering for it. I love cooking for, and with, the youngies, and a few weeks ago I stayed at PD’s while his kids were there – and together we made the karaage recipe (below) with a side-order of the Koreanish chilli dipping sauce (further down). Actually PD’s kids did all of the coating and cooking of the chicken, which was great fun – and now they will be able to make their own double-fried crunchy chicken in the future – love that!
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 thumb fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons caster sugar
700 grams boneless chicken thighs
3 cups vegetable oil
2 cups potato starch (I bought mine at an Asian market)
½ cup Japanese mayo
togarashi seasoning or sea salt
Line an oven tray with baking paper and a cooling rack with scrunched-up kitchen towels.
Put the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Remove the skin from the chicken or leave it on – traditionally it is left on, but I prefer it removed. Cut the thighs into 2-3 pieces. Add the chicken to the marinade and mix well to ensure each piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours….even up to over night would be fine.
Use tongs or chopsticks to drop the chicken into the potato starch and coat well, then put on the lined tray until needed. Heat the oil in a large pot until a piece of bread dropped in rises to the surface and turns golden in about 30 seconds.
Fry the coated chicken in batches for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Drain on the prepared kitchen towels, then use a sieve or slotted spoon to scoop out any batter that has dropped off into the oil. Fry the chicken a second time (just for a minute) until it is golden and super-crunchy.
Serve immediately with Japanese mayo, Korean-style dipping sauce and a sprinkling of sea salt Korean-style dipping sauce:
Koreanish chilli sauce:
1/4 cup gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2-3 tbsp honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic , crushed
1 tbsp grated ginger
t tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Mix all together in a small saucepan and bring to a perky simmer before reducing to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Store in the fridge and serve at room temperature – just take it out half an hour before serving.
Thanks Sarah – I finally plucked up the courage to have a crack at this and OMG yum!!!!! Couldn’t be faffed making slaw etc so had with fries & kewpie & a sprinkle of togarashi. My taste buds are in heaven.