Karaage Explained

is a Japanese cooking technique in which various foods—most often chicken, but also other meat and fish—are deep fried in oil. The process involves lightly coating small pieces of the meat or fish with a combination of flour and potato starch or corn starch, and frying in a light oil. The foods are marinated prior to coating. The process differs from the preparation of tempura, which is not marinated and uses a batter for coating.^[1] Karaage is often served alone or with rice and shredded cabbage.

When the main ingredient is coated with starch instead of flour, the dish may be called .

History

The first references to a style of frying called Japanese: karaage (then written as Japanese: 空揚) were in the Genroku period at the end of the 17th century. Chicken Japanese: karaage was popularized as a "Chinese-style" restaurant food (using the characters Japanese: 唐揚) in the 1930s. There exists considerable disagreement among newspapers and publishers in Japan about the preferred kanji, leading some to write it phonetically as Japanese: からあげ.

When used without a modifier, usually refers to the chicken version of the dish; this has been the most common application of the cooking style since making Japanese: karaage at home became more popular after World War II. The post-war increase in the popularity of karaage is said to have begun in Ōita Prefecture in neighboring cities Usa and Nakatsu. At the annual Japanese: Karaage Festival in Nakatsu, over 60 different shops participate to provide unique versions of the dish.^{[2] [3]} Shops which advertise "Nakatsu karaage" can be found throughout Japan.^{[4] [5]} In Japan, chicken Japanese: karaage is commonly available in convenience stores such as Lawson, FamilyMart, and 7-Eleven as a fast-food item. It is also readily available in food stands throughout Japan.^[6]

Japanese: Karaage in the media

• Japanese: Karaage has become embedded in Japanese cuisine and has made several TV appearances. Probably the most notable appearance has been in the anime/manga series Shokugeki no Souma, a show about a young aspiring chef who sticks to his roots in family restaurant food.
• Another notable mention was by Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain sang praises for the Japanese fried dish in an interview, saying that he always stopped by Lawson to pick up Japanese: karaage when he visited Japan.^[7]
• The dish of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is deep-fried chicken Japanese: karaage, such as Okinawan-style deep-fried chicken.^[8] It has been used to promote the JASDF.^[8]

Regional Japanese: karaage

Since Japanese: karaage has spread throughout Japan, there have been many regional takes on the dish, the most notable ones including:^[9]

• Japanese: '''Zangi''' – Hokkaido prefecture's version of Japanese: karaage, made with a marinade and served with a spicy dipping sauce.
• Japanese: '''Tebasaki''' – Nagoya's version of Japanese: karaage, made with bone in chicken wings, sprinkled with sesame seeds and basted with a special sauce.
• Chicken Japanese: '''nanban''' – Miyazaki prefecture’s version of Japanese: karaage, dipped in sweet vinegar and topped with tartar sauce.
• Japanese: '''Gurukun no kara-age''' – Okinawa prefecture’s version of Japanese: karaage. Gurukun is Okinawa's official and most popular fish, often called a "banana fish" in English; it is a fish fried whole and served with lemon.
• Korean: '''Dakgangjeong'''^[10] – Korea's take on fried chicken, very similar to Japanese: karaage, but usually made with milk and a sweet/spicy sauce consisting of soy sauce, rice wine, red chili pepper paste, honey, and seasonings.
• Japanese: '''Fugu no kara-age''' – A version of Japanese: karaage popular in Yamaguchi prefecture. Shimonoseki is known as the capital of fugu^[11] and many restaurants serving fugu Japanese: karaage can be found around the city. The flesh, organs, and bones of the blowfish are deep-fried.

See also

• Fried chicken
• List of cooking techniques
• List of deep fried foods
• Tempura

External links

• Japan Karaage Association
• Karaage JP
• Photos and further info about karaage
• Chicken Karaage recipe video (in English)

Notes and References

1. News: 26 November 2014 . Judkis . Maura . Plate Lab: Karaage is like Japanese fried chicken . .
2. Web site: What's on Oita, Japan Tourism Information. www.discover-oita.com. 2024-06-05.
3. https://karafes.com/ "Karaage Festival"
4. https://www.jalan.net/news/article/407399/ "【大分名物】中津からあげ7選！からあげの聖地で外せない名店はココ！"
5. https://www.jalan.net/news/article/248276/ "【東京都内】こだわりのから揚げ専門店7選！大分・中津のご当地からあげも♪"
6. Web site: Japanese Convenience Stores Are Havens Of 24/7 Snacking. Nomura. Mona. 2017-02-21. Eater. 2019-05-31.
7. Web site: Anthony Bourdain's favourite foodie finds. Joyce. Tabitha. CN Traveller. 13 June 2018 . 2019-05-31.
8. Web site: Asahi . ASDF hopes its fried chicken can outgun popular curry of MSDF . November 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210407092353/https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13817431 . April 7, 2021.
9. Web site: Chickened Out: Kara-age, Tatsuta-age, and More - Special Features - Japanese Food. NHK WORLD. en. 2019-05-31.
10. Web site: Dakgangjeong (Sweet Crispy Korean Fried Chicken) . 2014-03-17 . Korean Bapsang . 2019-05-31 .
11. Web site: Shimonoseki Guide . 2012-12-27 . Japan Experience . 2022-03-08 .