7 things you need to do when you come visit Japan
If you are considering or already decided upon visiting Japan, here is a list of what you should not miss out on when you come and visit.
Karaage (唐揚げ)
Karaage (唐揚げ) is a very dish which is considered one Japan’s comfort food and it is essentially the Japanese equivalent of fried chicken in the west. If you go to an Izakaya in Japan, you will most likely find Karaage in most places. Unlike normal fried chicken, it is soaked in numerous condiments such as Soy Sauce and Mirin prior to the cooking process which makes it very juicy and tasty. Check out our authentic Karaage recipe straight from Japan.
Table of Contents
A little bit about the dish
Karaage (唐揚げ) , aka Japanese fried chicken, is a very popular dish back in Japan. Along with Yakisoba, Karaage is often sold in food stalls in traditional festivals so it is often considered a very good dish to take with you for your lunch or for a picnic. While the Karaage is definitely good to eat by itself another good way to eat it is to put the Karaage and some Mayonnaise inside a Onigiri. While I certainly like eating itself, I might actually prefer this way of eating the Karaage. In any case, if you have some left over Karaage and rice from the day before, we guarantee that you will be able to make a very satisfying lunch.
List of Ingredients you will need
(Serving for 4 people)
・Chicken Thighs/Breast … 17 ounces (500 grams)
・Soy Sauce…1.5 Tablespoon
・Cooking Sake …1 Tablespoon
・Shredded Ginger …1 Teaspoon
・Sugar…1 Teaspoon
・Mayonnaise…1 Teaspoon
・Corn starch …6 Tablespoon
・Flour …3 Tablespoon
(Serving for 4 people)
・Chicken Thighs/Breast …
17 ounces (500 grams)
・Soy Sauce…1.5 Tbsp
・Cooking Sake …1 Tbsp
・Shredded Ginger …1 Tsp
・Sugar…1 Tsp
・Mayonnaise…1 Tsp
・Corn starch … 6 Tbsp
・Flour …3 Tbsp
Recipe
1. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
2. Put the chicken, soy sauce, cooking sake, shredded ginger, sugar into a sealable bag. You want the flavor to really seep into the meat so cool it the chicken in the fridge for at least 3 hours. The longer you let that flavor in, the more delicious it is so if you have the time, you can opt to finish this process on the day before you cook it and keep it in the fridge for 24 hours.
3. Prior to frying the Karaage, mix the flour and the corn starch which you will use as batter.
4. Coat the chicken with the flour and the corn starch.
5. Pour oil into a pot and heat it up to 340-360℉ (170-180℃) and fry the chicken for roughly 90 seconds.
6. Take the chicken out of the pot temporarily for a couple of minutes.
7. Fry the chicken again at the same temperature for 30-45 seconds to make it nice crispy.
8. Once you drain the redundant oil from the Karaage, it is ready to be served! It is good by itself but it also goes really well with Mayonnaise.
Other recommended recipes
If this is the kind of dish you like, we have compiled some a list of dishes that you might also like for your next cooking session below.
Kuri Gohan (栗ご飯）
Literally translated to “marron rice”, Kuri Gohan (栗ご飯）is a very popular rice dish in Japan in Autumn as the marrons are harvested in autumn. It is also a very easy dish to make as you simply put the rice and the marron and rice in the rice cooker and wait for it to cook.
Tempura (天ぷら)
Tempura is a common Japanese cuisine that often consists of meat, fish, and vegetables that have been battered and deep-fried. As it is cooked in light batter, it is not too oily and the crusty coating and light salting brings out the real flavors of the ingredients being cooked.
Yaki-Onigiri (焼きおにぎり)
Similar to Onigiri, Yaki-Onigiri（焼きおにぎり）is a ball made out of rice. While Onigiri can be eaten by itself, Onigiri often has some ingredients inside. Yaki-Onigiri on the other hand, will not have anything inside of it but the Onigiri is either coated with or drenched in Soy Sauce which is then grilled on a pan.
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