Chicken Karaage

The word kara refers to China, meaning that this method of preparing chicken originated in Chinese cooking (age means deep-fried) and the method of marinating meat in fresh ginger to get rid of any gaminess or so, which is quite disliked in both Japanese and Chinese cooking generally, is fundamentally Chinese.This is a very simple and very tasty way to do chicken. Unlike other kinds of fried food, it tastes quite light, and maintains its crispness quite well because of the cornstarch coating. It's great piping hot but is equally as good cold. It was a frequent ingredient in the obento (boxed lunch) my mother used to make for us.While you can make karaage with breast meat, it's much better with the dark thigh meat.

Ingredients

1. 2-4 boneless chicken thighs
2. 2 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
3. 3 Tbs soy sauce
4. 1 Tbs sake or sherry
5. 1/4 cup cornstarch
6. vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Cut up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You can take off the skin if you like, though it does make the chicken crispier.
2. Put the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the grated ginger, soy sauce and sake, and mix well. Let marinate for a minimum of 1/2 hour, and up to about 1 hour (not too long or the salt in the soy sauce will toughen up the chicken.)
3. Heat the oil. Toss in enough cornstarch into the marinated chicken so that each piece is completely coated. Fry the chicken pieces a few at a time until a deep golden brown.
4. Drain well, and eat with a squeeze of lemon juice and/or a side of mayonaise.

Notes