← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless chicken thighs, skin on, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tbsp Ginger, finely grated
• 6 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) or cornflour
• 750 ml neutral oil, for deep-frying
• ½ Lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. Mix the soy sauce, sake, mirin and ginger in a bowl, add the chicken and massage it in. Marinate in the fridge for 30 min.
2. Drain the chicken well, then roll each piece in the starch, pressing it on so it is completely coated. Leave for 2 min until the starch looks damp; this gives the crunchy white spots.
3. Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F). Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 min, turning once, until crisp and pale golden and cooked through to 75°C (165°F).
4. Drain on a rack and serve hot with lemon wedges, or cool for a bento.

Tips

• The name comes from the Tatsuta river, whose red maple leaves and white foam the reddish meat and white crust are said to resemble.
• Mackerel cut into chunks is a classic alternative. Contains wheat and soy (soy sauce).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Japanese Cooking 101 RecipeTin Japan