This dish normally requires a bit more work, but by using Shio Kouji you can "cheap" a bit and obtain almost the same result. Karaage are crispy, steaming hot nuggets of chicken thigh meat that can many anybody's mouth water. They are especially good served with salad and freshly cooked rice. What you need is:
400 gr boneless chicken thigh meat
100 ml of Shio Kouji
Potato flour
oil for deep frying (appr. 1 liter)
Lemon juice, lemon wedges if you have
1 zipper bag of a suitable size
Start by cutting the chicken in smaller bits, but not too small:
Place them in the zipper bag:
Pour 100 ml of Shio Kouji in the bag:
Squeeze the contents well. Close the bag after having squeezed out the air. Now lift it half a meter above the tabletop and let it drop from there, so the meat is beaten. Repeat 5-6 times:
Plaec the bag in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. If you need to, you can leave it for longer.
Fill the oil in a pot, which is suitable for deep frying. The larger the pot, the more oil you will need, so if you have time, we recommend using a smaller pot and fry smaller batches. We have here used a 22 cm pot and 1 liter of oil. Heat the oil at medium heat until it's around 175 degrees celcius - if you have a (dry) wooden utensil, it should bubble lightly if you put it in the oil. If there's heavy foaming, the oil is too hot. Remember to take precautions when deep frying - never put water or wet items in the hot oil, as there's a risk of causing an explosion. And stay with the pot all the time while the oil is hot.
Remove the meat from the bag and dry it with a kitchen towel:
Fill potato flour in a flat bowl and coat each piece well with it:
Place the pieces carefully in the hot oil and let them turn golden coloured. They should be frying and bubbling well, but not too much. If the oil is too hot, they will become black on the outside and not cooked inside. They should look like this:
When they are golden and float on top of the oil they're done and can be set to dry on a grate. Place them on a plate with a salad, drip them with lemon juice, and serve them with rice. Enjoy!
