I have a fondness for kara-age, Japan’s take on fried chicken. Why not? It’s crisp, very juicy and it’s easy to eat since they’re usually served as large meaty chunks, sans bones. Marinated in soy sauce and ginger, it has a delectable juiciness that’s loaded with natural chicken goodness.

I love how this recipe turned out because the chicken remained moist and juicy. I hear ginger is used as a meat tenderizer; maybe that’s how it retained the moistness? It wasn’t as crispy as when it was freshly fried but it was still good and offered a crusty bite against the tender meatiness of the insides.

To go with the chicken, I hardboiled an egg then popped it into an egg mold, just for the cute factor. Cute is instant plus, I’m sure you guys would agree. To complete the meal, I added mini carrot sticks and some shredded nori to fill the gap. Everything’s resting on a bed of rice, turning it into a complete, hearty meal.

Kara-age (Japanese Fried Chicken) v. 6 August 2008

2-3 chicken fillets, sliced into large chunks
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sake
1 tsp grated ginger

1. Mix the soy sauce, sake and ginger.
2. Rub the mix on the chicken, then marinate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil for deep frying. When the oil’s hot enough, lightly roll the chicken in cornstarch then fry until golden brown.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 at 5:18 pm and is filed under bento, recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.