Kara-age (Japanese Chicken Fritters) recipe

photo 3

This is one of the most popular nibbles for beer/sake dish, also for picnic.
You would stop going to KFC if you can make this at home.
You can add so many different things for different results, but here I will introduce pretty basic one with some personal touch :) (shiso this time)
Onion and Sake make the chicken so succulent and tender, it's almost a magic!
When grating onion, I have to wear a swimming goggle not to weep(!), but in this way, onion gives lots of juice which softens the chicken as well as seasoning.
Shiso is very Japanese herb we all love, but if you can't get it, chopped basil would do or seaweed powder or Nori pieces to wrap the chicken before frying would make very Japanese flavour. If you like it spicy, you can sprinkle some chili powder in the mix.

Ingredients: (serves 4 people)

Chicken Thighs (skinned) cut into bite size about 500-800g
Flour & Cornflour mix 5 tbl spoons each or enough to coat the chicken
little Salt and white pepper 
Soy sauce 4 tbl spoons
Sake (or vodka or white wine) 3 tbl spoons
small piece of ginger grated
one medium onion grated
1-2 garlic cloves crushed
3-5 Shiso leaves (basil would do)
one medium beaten egg (optional)
Sauces for dip (Ponzu or Mayonnaise or salt/pepper)

Photo 1

photo 2

1: Cut the chicken thigh into bite sizes and season with salt and pepper
2: Grate onion, ginger and garlic into the chicken in a bowl (photo 1)
3: Add all sauce (soy, sake and beaten egg) into the bowl to coat the chicken 
4: Cut Shiso leaves into small pieces and put in chicken mix
5: Leave to season in the fridge for at least an hour to overnight (photo 2)
6: In a small plastic bag, put flour and corn flour (this will be the coating for frying) *you can do in a bowl but plastic bag is easy not to make mess*
7: Put plenty of oil in a small pan or frying pan (plenty enough to cover the chicken when frying)
8: Dip the chicken pieces into this flour bag to coat the chicken thoroughly *only right before frying (otherwise it gets soggy)
9: Fry the chicken pieces into the pan until golden (about 3-5 min)
10: To take the excess oil from chicken, put chicken onto newspaper 
11: Serve! Eat while hot. (photo 3)

It's good with on its own as it has plenty flavour already, but I recommend some side dip sauces such as Ponzu (STRONGLY recommended!!!), Citrus salt, Mayonnaise, Yuzu pepper.

*Ponzu is Japanese sauce with citrus elements such as yuzu orange, you can make this by simply mixing 1 part soya sauce preferably Dashi Shoyu (dashi in soy sauce already), 1 part squeezed citrus juice, some Dashi powder (if not with Dashi Shoyu) melted into soy sauce by heating the sauce slightly (then cool down before serving)