Try this deep-fried treat from Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat’s book Japanese Soul Cooking.
Ingredients (serves 4)
450g boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2.5cm cubes
½tsp salt
4tsp grated ginger
60ml sake
60ml soy sauce
2tbsp mirin
72g sesame seeds (preferably raw but you can use toasted sesame seeds, too)
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Steamed rice to serve
450g boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2.5cm cubes
½tsp salt
4tsp grated ginger
60ml sake
60ml soy sauce
2tbsp mirin
72g sesame seeds (preferably raw but you can use toasted sesame seeds, too)
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Steamed rice to serve
Method
Step 1: Mix together the chicken, salt, ginger, sake, soy sauce and mirin in a bowl until well combined. Marinate the chicken for 15min. Put the sesame seeds in another bowl. When the chicken is ready, squeeze excess marinade from the chicken with your hands and dredge each piece in the sesame seeds, coating both sides well. Place the coated pieces on a plate.
Step 2: Place a deep cast-iron frying pan on the hob. Fill the pan with vegetable oil to a height of at least 2.5cm. Attach a kitchen thermometer to the side of the pan. On a nearby work surface, set up a tray lined with newspaper or kitchen paper to drain the cooked sesame chicken. Turn the heat up high.
Step 3: When the oil reaches 171C, add the chicken to the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, cook the chicken in batches. Be careful not to overfill the pan, which will lower the cooking temperature; use, at most, half of the surface area of the oil to cook. While the chicken is frying, check the oil temperature. Regulate the heat to maintain a constant 171C. If the oil is too hot, the chicken will burn; if it’s too low, the chicken will come out soggy and greasy. Fry the chicken for about 4min until it turns golden brown. Be careful the sesame seeds don’t burn.
Step 4: Transfer the chicken to the paper-lined plate to drain. Serve piping hot with steamed white rice on the side.
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