Umami Salt Karaage
Fried chicken made by cutting chicken thigh into 6 large pieces, marinating them for 1 to 2 hours with chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, MSG, fresh garlic, and sesame oil, then coating them in potato starch and wrapping the meat in the chicken skin before frying. The water-retaining action of the sugar and salt, the coating of sesame oil, and the shaping by wrapping in chicken skin keep the loss of juices to a minimum, and the synergy of umami gives a juicy result.
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions
Cut the chicken thigh in half, then cut each half into 3, for 6 large pieces in total. Use the sharpest knife in your kitchen so the skin does not come off as you cut.
3:34~5 minPut the cut chicken thigh in a bowl and add the chicken bouillon powder and sugar. The sugar mellows the saltiness and holds in the juices while frying through its water-retaining action.
4:15~1 minNext add the salt. Over a short time salt draws out water, but marinating for a long time loosens the fibers, and the meat absorbs moisture into those gaps for water retention.
5:03~1 minAdd 8 shakes of MSG. The glutamate from the MSG joins the inosinate in the chicken and the chicken bouillon powder, creating a synergy of umami.
6:25~1 minGrate in the garlic and massage well so all the seasonings work into the chicken. Take care, as massaging too forcefully will make the skin come off.
6:49~2 minOnce it is well massaged, add the sesame oil and massage it in so the oil coats the whole surface of the chicken. This prevents the juices from escaping and removes any off-odors for a richly flavored result.
7:41~1 minCover with plastic wrap pressed against the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. Take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before frying to bring it back to room temperature.
8:09~90 minPut the vegetable oil in a pot and heat it to around 170°C. When you put cooking chopsticks into the oil, a steady stream of fine bubbles rising along the whole length of the chopsticks is the sign of 170°C.
11:02~5 minCoat the chicken evenly all over with potato starch, then shape each piece by wrapping the meat up in the chicken skin. Wrapping it in the skin seals the moisture and juices inside the meat.
11:26~5 minPut the pieces into the 170°C oil seam side down. Touching them right away will make the coating come off or the shape collapse, so leave them alone for about 1 and a half minutes.
12:57~2 minAfter about 2 minutes, turn them over and fry them evenly all over at a medium temperature of 160-170°C. When the whole coating is a light golden brown, drain off the oil.
13:39~8 minArrange on a plate, serve with lemon, squeeze plenty over, and it is done.
14:46~2 min
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