Tuesday, January 20, 2015

FRIED CHICKEN HOT POT

Kara-Age Sleet Nabe/ から揚げみぞれ鍋

DSC_5745It does not make sense, when you fry chicken nuggets until crispy then put them in the dashi soup, right? No, not a whole lot. but this is our favorite hot-pot dish. Although I don’t mind having this dish every week in cold months, it’s not so fun to fry the chicken pieces before hand every time.

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According to the original recipe from ‘NHK Today’s Cooking magazine, it’s a speedy nabe/鍋 (earthenware pot) dish because you are supposed to use store purchased ‘ever so popular’ kara-age/ seasoned Japanese style fried chicken nuggets which are readily available in any convenience store or grocery store… if you live.in Japan. I get that the nice umami flavor rendered from kara-age thus the cooking time is short. The grated daikon (in nabe term, this is called mizore/みぞれ, means sleet) tames the otherwise oily soup.

Gazillions of kara-age recipes are floating around on-line and I have my own recipe too…the freshly fried piece is most desirable…just be careful..it’s very hot! Warning: too much test munching while frying results in fewer pieces to go into the pot.

Marc’s kara-age recipe is one of my favorite. It’s a little sweeter. While you are at his site, check out his Orange Chicken; read the charming story and be awed by great photos. This recipe also requires kara-age…why not shoot two birds with one oil… oops, one rock?

Nipponnin’s Basic Kara-Age recipe- (Print Recipe Here)

  • Boneless chicken thigh about 450g cut in 2 inch chunks.
  • Marinating sauce – 2 Tablespoons of sake, mirin , soy sauce. 1 tablespoon each (or more/less) of grated ginger ( you may use grated ginger in tube for convenience) and grated garlic.
  • Potato starch (I recommend this) or corn starch approximately 1/3 cup
  • Oil for frying

Put all marinating sauce ingredients in a zip-lock bag, add chicken pieces. Massage well over the tightly closed bag. Rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Drain any juice in the bag and add 1/3 starch, close the bag and shake well to coat chicken with starch. Add a little more starch if it’s too wet or if you want to have more body. Heat oil in thick bottom pan to 320F. Fry 2-3 pieces at time to avoid crowding until crispy and golden brown about 3 minutes. Receive in paper towel to absorb oil.
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Basic with twist – Add 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise (preferably kewpie mayonnaise) in marinate sauce for rich creamy flavor or 2 Tablespoon rice vinegar for tanginess.

Option #1– For crispier chicken, Fry them twice, I recommend this if you just making kara-age. (Fry for 2-3 minutes first in 320 F. Rest chicken pieces on paper towel. Heat oil up to 390F and put the chicken back in oil and fry for 40 seconds)..

Option #2 – Mix potato starch and 2Tablespoons of jyoshinnko (上新粉/type of rice flour) for extra crispy texture.

Ingredients and Instruction for Kara-age Hot Pot for 4 servings

  • 10 to 14 pieces chicken kara-age
  • 4 to 8 pieces ganmodoki (がんもどき/ tofu fritters)
  • 1 bundle mizuna,(水菜/Japanese mustard leaves)DSC_5724
  • 4 cups dashi stock, I used NO-MSG granule dashi dissolved in 4 cups of hot water
  • 3 Tablespoons sake
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon mirin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups grated daikon /white radish with juice 
  • Yuzu pepper or yuzu paste, optional
  1. Prepare the ingredients and set aside followings – 
    Put tofu fritters in very hot water to remove some of oilDSC_5731.
    Cut off stem from mizuna then cut in 3 inch lengths.DSC_5728
    Mix dashi stock, sake, soy sauce, mirin and salt in a bowl.
  2. Pour dashi stock mixture in the stone pot and boil.
  3. Turn down the heat to medium, add tofu fritters and kara-age pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes
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  4. Add mizuna then grated daikon and it’s juice. Cook for 1 minute and it is done!
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  5. Serve with yuzu pepper (optional)DSC_5741

Following night’s supperKara-age Udon  All your hard work is done the night before, just put quickly rinsed frozen udon noodle in the hot-pot left over (add more dashi stock if needed and adjust seasonings) and voila!DSC_5749

Flavorful Korean seaweeds sheets are always welcome – my husband received it from a co-worker. Isn’t that nice? DSC_5786Wisely made into Kara-age rolls!IMG_2255

I was doing really good last week…eating right/light until my husband made shokupan, Japanese style loaf of bread. Thank you Bake for Happy Kids! Nostalgia set in….Nous sommes contents (we are happy)!DSC_5835

 

 

 

 

 

17 comments:

  1. Hi Nippon Nin,

    I'm happy to hear that your husband and you like this shokupan recipe. I must say that it is one of the best that I have tried :D

    I love karaage too and enjoy reading all the variations that you cooked with karrage... Shame on me that I have cooked the most basic karaage yet... I would love to give your basic recipe a go!

    Zoe

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    1. Thank you Zoe. Yeah! I love the shokupan! I hope my husband will make it tomorrow!

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  2. How nice! Everything looks great, and I just love fried chicken and this one looks delicious. :)

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  3. All of this looks SO good. I want the shokupan especially. How did he make it so perfect?

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    1. Thank you Mariko. I have a loaf pan with removal lid.Neat, right?

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  4. I wanna do a whole lot of test munching at your house!!

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    1. Ha ha ha Thanks Jalna, You're way too funny! I'm jealous of your new IPad.

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  5. こんにちは。国際色豊かですね。 こちらでも韓国の焼き海苔が流行ったこともありました。
     冬は鍋ものに限りますね。 食パンの焼き立てを食べてみたいです。

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    1. ありがとうございます。 日本は寒いですか?次のポスト楽しみにしています。

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  6. I just had my dinner, but now I have the appetite again for that hot pot! Love those tofu fritters.

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    1. Thank you so much Angie. Your beet cake looks amazing!

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  7. I'm really impressed with you...busy yet still able to do and share with us how you make proper kara age...looks so good! Thanks for sharing your knowledge:) I have to try this sometime...soooon!
    Hope home redecorating project is going great...remember, just one room at a time...and lots of rest in between:) most of all, have fun!

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    1. Thank you Annie. I hope you try both my recipe and Marc's. I think you will find your own take on karaage quickly.
      Redecorating project is going very slowly...I wish I could hire someone to do it...try to be positive, enjoy the journey kind of?

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  8. Kare age is one of the dishes I could eat every day... I avoid cooking it too often because as you say a big part ends up in my mouth before it gets to the table and I feel I could go on eating it forever...
    This hot pot is a huge discovery though! I would have never thought of putting kara age into it! It looks so luscious and the photographs are amazing!
    Thank you for inspiration. (You know a maki sushi chain here makes also kara age maki and frankly I adore them... so much better than their 2nd quality raw fish ones...). You make me hungry for deep-fried food!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sissi! I'm trying your can tuna kimchi soup very soon!

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  9. 唐揚げを鍋料理になんて考えたこともありませんでした。家族全員、唐揚げ大好きなので鍋に使う前になくなりそう。私は下味をつけたチキンを片栗粉で揚げています。少しつぶつぶ感がありサクサク美味しいです。明後日の節分の恵方巻き(ご存じですか?いつからこの習慣が始まったのかしら?学生時代にはありませんでした)には唐揚げロールもいいかもしれない。

    Yoko

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