This is the first entry of a theme. I do not fry very often because it's not particularly healthy and it's quite messy, but it is also an undeniably delicious way to cook food. I've noticed almost every cookbook I own across many cuisines have recipes for fried chicken, and I've decided to try out a variety of them. There will be more.
Japanese-Style Fried Chicken with Scallion Sauce (Kara Age)
From Morimoto's recipe, this is light and subtle yet complex—exactly what you'd expect from Japanese fried chicken. This is not to be confused with tempura. Here, small cuts of chicken thighs marinate in eggs seasoned with soy, sake, ginger, and garlic. That's where all the flavor comes from. It goes from there to a quick coating of nothing but cornstarch (keeps it light) and then straight to the oil. Served with a dipping sauce made of soy, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, scallions, and shiso leaf (if you haven't had shiso leaves and like herbs like mint or cilantro, they're very unique and I urge you to give them a try if you can find them; usually in Asian grocery stores). Here, I served it ichiju sansai style: protein, veg, rice, and a soup. I made miso soup with mussels, Brussels sprouts and maitake mushrooms stir-fry, plus fried shishito peppers for fun since they were fresh in season and I already had the oil going.
