Karaage

Karaage is a Japanese dish of bite-sized pieces of boneless chicken, marinated, dusted in starch and deep-fried. It is a standard item in izakaya, bento boxes and home cooking across Japan.

What it really is

Karaage is built on chicken thigh or leg meat cut into bite-sized pieces and marinated in soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sake or mirin. The pieces are coated in potato starch or a mix of potato starch and wheat flour, then deep-fried, often twice, so the coating turns thin and crisp while the meat stays juicy. Flour-only coatings and batter-dipped versions are different preparations.

The main look-alike is tatsuta-age, a related Japanese fried chicken in which the marinade is lighter and the coating is usually only starch. Karaage is also distinct from Korean-style fried chicken, which typically uses a wet batter or a sweet-spicy glaze and is not marinated in the same soy-ginger base.

How it's served

• Served hot as a main with shredded cabbage, lemon wedges and rice, as in a teishoku set.
• Eaten as an izakaya snack with beer or highball, often with a squeeze of lemon or a dab of Japanese mayonnaise.
• Packed cold in bento boxes, where the coating stays crisp at room temperature.
• Diners often dip the pieces in a little Japanese mayonnaise or shichimi-spiced salt.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the dish as Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) and state that the chicken is marinated in soy sauce and ginger.
• Flag the allergens: soy and wheat from the marinade and coating, and eggs if the marinade includes them.
• State the coating: potato starch only, or potato starch with wheat flour, since guests with wheat concerns need to know.
• Specify the cut, for example thigh meat on the bone or boneless, and whether the dish is served with lemon and mayonnaise.