Moomy-san Does Fried Chicken, Japanese-style!

I’ve always been on the lookout for a good fried chicken recipe. Growing up, my dear mum and beloved grandmothers made theirs with plenty of turmeric, lemon grass and other fragrant spices – delicious!

Then of course, there was Colonel Sander’s fried chicken with its special blend of 11 herbs and spices. I thought that was the bomb until I tried Popeye’s version in SG back in 2006 (that was when the American chain opened its first outlet in the little island).

Equally yummy, equally … greasy hehehe 

but fried chicken ain't fried if you don't do it right!

I’ve tried out many recipes and different ways – double-dipping, pre-soaking the chicken in buttermilk or marinating them in a blend of aromatic spices and herbs. The chicken was always wonderful to eat but such a pain to fry.

I absolutely HATE deep-frying. And when you fry chicken, you get all that grease a-popping and a-splattering all over the place. Its enough to make me become a vegetarian, I tell you.

Which I’m not, by the way. I need my meat. I love my steaks.

So anyway, a dear Japanese friend on FB recently posted a picture of her making Chicken karaage for her son’s party. And I’ve heard of how crispy these chicken pieces are so …

You’ve got to try them out in order to find out, right?

I first made these when our new friends came over for lunch last week. And I absolutely loved how the chicken turned out. It was juicy, tender and so flavorful.

Enough talking. Let’s get on with the how-to’s, shall we? :D This recipe is adapted from www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/karaage

I used about 1lb worth of skinless chicken breasts. These I cut into 2-inch chunks and seasoned them with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Set the meat aside in a huge Ziploc bag.

 Such a simple marinade ...

and it produced such moist and flavorful fried chicken!
When I made it for the second time, I simply mixed my marinade
in the Ziploc bag itself before dumping all those chicken chunks in it.

Into a bowl, I grated about an inch of fresh ginger (a wee bit more is alright too; I just love the smell of fresh ginger!).

To that, I added 8 garlic cloves (minced finely), 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir to thoroughly combine these ingredients.

Pour this fragrant mixture into your Ziploc bag. Squeeze the bag free of any air pockets, press the zipper tight to seal. Then squish the contents around so that the chicken chunks get coated in all that yummy marinade. Let this sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

When you’re ready to fry it, take the chicken out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter for about half an hour. I read somewhere that it's best to cook your meat when its at room temperature so it will cook nice and evenly.

Heat your oil up (about 320degF/160degC). The oil has to be hot because if not, your chicken will not get crispy. It'll just be a soggy, oily mess. We don't want that.

While you wait for the oil to be ready, measure out a quarter cup each of corn starch and flour. Add these into the bag, seal the plastic and squish and moosh the meat and flour together. You don’t need to coat the flour evenly throughout the chicken chunks.

I learnt to marinate my meat in Ziploc bags (its all

those cooking shows I watch on telly).

Squeeze all that air pockets out and roll the bag tight. 

And when you're done, toss the bag into the bin. 

Minimal clean-up! :D:D:D

Once the oil is ready, gently drop pieces of chicken into it. Do not overcrowd your meat. 

I always deep fry my chicken in a small pot. My logic is small pot, small amount of oil. I hate wasting all that oil because 1. I do not deep-fry often, and 2. depending on what you fry, the oil will get dirty quick. Especially if you’re frying something with Panko/dried breadcrumbs! ARGHHHH!

Me and my small pot theory *winks*

I am quite terrified of oil splatters that

my darling hubby has stepped in often to do the frying for me.

His reward: I turn a blind eye to his constant munching

of them delish goods while waiting for the frying to be over LOL

But I want my fried chicken so small pot it shall be. Wastage there isn’t.

Cheeky, I am.

Resist, I couldn't.

Put a picture of Master Yoda, I sure did!! LOL!

This chicken will fry quickly, about 2 minutes. Cook till your chicken is light golden brown on the outside. Scoop the chicken chunks out with your slotted spoon and let it sit on a cooling rack or in a dish lined with paper towel.

Serve these delightful chicken karaage with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of sliced spring onions. Oishiiii!! :D:D:D My darling hubby and I love how its moist inside yet crispy on the outside. The ginger and garlic-soy marinade gave it such a light yet wonderful flavor.

I've made it twice now, in the space of 1 week. This recipe is one that I will continue to make for my little family :D 

And the other thing that's great about this chicken dish is its versatility. In that one week, the karaage was finger food to go along with a main noodle-y dish, and the next day, it became the meat highlight for a simple curry (Japanese-style, of course). 

I love it when you can stretch that one particular recipe into many different meals like this fried chicken :D

 Its good as a side dish or on its own

with a chilli dipping sauce or a squeeze of lemon juice ...

... or under that lovely sweet curry sauce

over a bed of freshly steamed Jasmine rice ...

Now this is a dish that would be perfect to watch Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san, hai (that's yes in Japanese)? :D:D:D 

Sayonara for now, my dear reader! :D