Chicken karaage is this wonderful Japanese take on fried chicken. It gets a big flavour kick from a quick marinade. And the potato starch makes it super crispy. Tasty stuff. Like the best chicken nugget you ever had.
You see on every Japanese menu. Well, maybe every menu outside of Japan. Chicken karaage is an appetizer up there next to gyoza and edamame. Great with drinks. Party food.
Technically this recipe is tatsuta-age, not karaage. It’s a subtle difference. And one largely ignored on the internet. As far as I can tell chicken karaage is not marinated before dredging in potato starch. Tatsuta-age is.
I’m going to call it chicken karaage here. I’m not the internet police. So I’m going with the flow. Doesn’t matter what you call it though. It’s good either way.
chicken karaage
Ingredients
- 8 boneless chicken thighs with the skin on - Seriously. Use dark meat with skin
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2-3 tsp ginger grated (a microplane works well)
- 4 tbsp sake
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup potato starch - enough to coat the chicken
- oil to deep fry
- lemon and Japanese mayo to serve
Instructions
- Cut each chicken thigh into 3-4 pieces. You are going for large bite sized pieces.
- Mix the sake, soy, mirin, salt, ginger and garlic in with the chicken. Let sit 15-20 minutes minimum. Up to an hour is OK.
- Individually dust the chicken pieces with the potato starch. Don’t go overboard. Don’t double dredge. It will be tough. You really want a light hand here. Set chicken on a rack on a cookie sheet until you are ready to fry.
- Pre-heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. A nice large cast iron pan works well here. Go for about 1 inch of oil in the pan. Use a candy thermometer. You want your oil at 340-350F when the chicken goes in. Regulate your heat to try to keep it in the range while the chicken cooks if you can.
- A word of caution here. Don’t add a bunch of chicken at the same time. You run the risk of the oil bubbling up over the edge of your pan. That’s really bad. Dangerous. Be careful. Cook smart.
- Working in batches, deep fry the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 170F. Get an instant read thermometer if you don’t have one. Instant read thermometers are how you get consistent results.
- Once the first batch of chicken is done, set it on paper towels on a plate. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
- Serve with fresh lemon and optionally Japanese (kewpie) mayonnaise. Kewpie mayo is not the same as regular mayo. You can also sprinkle a bit of shichimi togarashi on it if you want a bit more zing. Green onions make a nice garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Chicken dhansak is a timeless Indian dish where the humble lentil is transformed into something wonderful. Overlay some big Bengali flavours and it might become a new classic.
Heresy? Maybe. But I like it. A lot. Because it’s just tasty. And it’s way easier than the original. That’s a dish meant for Sunday dinner. For special occasions. Serious business.
This is an easier version of dhansak
This is easy. Chicken dhansak for weeknights. Takes a while to get the lentils cooked. But other than it’s a snap. Make the lentils one evening. Set them aside. Finish it the next night. No rush. No pressure.
Or make it in a single evening. Totally doable if you start early enough. This chicken dhansak is a hurry up and wait kind of recipe. Most of the time is spent watching it cook.
Or doing other stuff. Lentils take a while to get to mush. And mush is where the magic is.
That mush is the sauce. The creamy coating that wraps every bite of chicken. Perfect for dipping Indian flatbreads into. Mush into magic. That’s what this is about.
Chicken dhansak with a bengali twist
The flavour profile is different from classic chicken dhansak. Bengali flavours. Mustard seed. Cumin seed. Panch phoran. I think the only thing that could make this more Bengali is if you put potatoes into it.
Panch phoran is going to take a trip to an Indian grocer. Count on that. But that’s always the case with Indian recipes. There are lots of other things to get. If you are getting into Indian cooking you will need to start collecting spices anyway.
Panch phoran is Bengali five spice. A blend of whole spices. Cumin. Mustard seed. Fenugreek. Nigella. Fennel.
Somehow these five spices come together into something that just works. Perfectly. Once you try it you’ll understand. It comes pre-mixed so just pick up the package labeled panch phoran and you are golden.
Bone-in chicken cooks in the lentils
Bone-in chicken makes a difference. And dark meat is always better for braised dishes. Two things you really need to stick to. Play with the spices. Try different things. But make sure that you use dark meat. On the bone.
The chicken cooks in the lentils. The juices from the chicken become part of the sauce. That’s important. Really brings it together. Puts the chicken into chicken dhansak. Boneless chicken breast just cannot compete.
Try the lentils after you add the tomato mixture. Then try it once the chicken is cooked. You’ll see. Before – lentil dish. After – chicken dhansak – Bengali style.
This is homestyle cooking. Not what you get in restaurants. What people cook for family. For good friends. There are lots of flashy restaurant style dishes on this blog – including a dhansak curry .
But sometimes comfort food is what you need. And this is comfort food. If you like Indian. And you like lentils. This chicken dhansak could be just what you need. Easy. And really tasty. How can you go wrong?
chicken dhansak – bengali style
Ingredients
The dal
- 1 1/2 cups masoor dal – red split lentils
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
The chicken dhansak
- 1 two inch piece of cinnamon bark – also known as cassia bark
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp panch phoran – bengali whole spice mix
- 1-2 tsp kashmiri chili powder – depending how hot you like it
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic ginger paste – make your own following the link below. It’s so much better than store bought.
- 2 medium tomatoes about 12 oz, diced
- 2 green finger hot chilies seeded and diced. Or one jalapeño, seeded and diced.
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 8 chicken thighs or 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks, skinless
- 1 tsp kosher salt to start – you will need more.
Instructions
Prepare the lentils
- Combine the lentils, water and turmeric in a pot large enough to hold the final curry. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are mushy. You want to bring them to a boil uncovered and then cover when you reduce to a simmer. I’ve had lentils boil over more times than I care to mention. Messy stuff.
- Give them a stir every now and then while they cook. Sometimes they stick to the bottom a bit right when they get to the mush stage. Keep an eye on them. They will cook more with the chicken. Ultimately you want the lentils to fully disintegrate. A little thick at this stage is OK. The chicken will throw some liquid as it cooks.
Prepare the seasoning masala or tempering
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the cinnamon and cook until little bubbles form around it. This takes 20-30 seconds.
- Now add the mustard seed, panch phoran and cumin seed. Cook until they start to sizzle. Again, this takes only a few seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the diced green chili. Cook for 30-45 seconds.
- Stir in the garlic ginger paste and cook until it stops sputtering – around one minute. Now add the kashmiri chili powder and salt and cook for 20-30 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Mix in the diced tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. You want to get them to where they are just starting to lose their shape.
- Add the tomato mixture to the lentils. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt. It’s easier now than when the chicken is in your way.
- Add the chicken to the lentil mixture. Cook until the chicken is cooked through. An instant read thermometer is good for this. You are going for about 170F in the middle of the thigh.
- Let stand for about 5 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve with rice and/or Indian flatbread like naan or chapatis or best of all parathas. Mmm… parathas.
Notes
Nutrition
