Making good Japanese fried chicken is an art, and what better way to learn than from one of Barcelona’s specialists in this Japanese recipe. Japanese chef Hiroshi, who runs the Kobuta restaurants in the Sants and Rocafort neighborhoods, has turnedkaraage chicken into a cult favorite, and this is the exact technique he uses to prepare it at home in less than thirty minutes.
Given the impossibility of showing his ramen recipe during filming, as it requires a minimum of eight hours of preparation, the process for making traditional Asian crispy chicken is also quite useful for any mortal.
Kobuta’s karaage fried chicken recipe in Barcelona
The preparation starts with clean chicken thighs cut into large portions. The meat is marinated in soy sauce and the restaurant’s signature ingredient: egg yolk.
After mixing the ingredients well, the mixture should rest for twenty to thirty minutes.
For the batter, the chef uses potato flour, a product that can be found in import supermarkets. Although the mixture can be left to rest for an extra hour in the refrigerator, it can be cooked immediately. And here comes the important part: the frying process is divided into two fundamental stages.
First, immerse the chicken in vegetable oil at 170ºC for two minutes, without touching the pieces. Once removed from the heat, the portions should rest for another two minutes.
Finally, the chef raises the oil temperature to the maximum and fries the meat a second time for one to one and a half minutes. This technique ensures the crispy finish that characterizes this Japanese dish.
