Photography: James Moffatt
A staple of home kitchens, teishoku diners and casual restaurants, chicken nanban originated in the southern Japanese city of Miyazaki but is now loved all over Japan. Prized for its crisp exterior and its combination of sweet-sour sauce with creamy, tartare flavours, it’s become a well-loved favourite well beyond its regional roots.
This version takes inspiration from crunchier karaage with potato starch for its final coating. Serve it with steamed Japanese rice with dustings of togarashi for a complete meal.
Note: To hard-boil eggs, cook room temperature eggs in a saucepan of boiling water for 9-10 minutes. Refresh in iced water, then peel.
Ingredients
Method
For sweet vinegar sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves (2 minutes). Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
For tartare sauce, combine ingredients in a bowl, season and refrigerate until required.
For fried chicken, season chicken generously with fine sea salt. Place eggs and potato starch in separate shallow bowls. In batches, dip chicken in egg, then dust in potato starch, shaking off excess.
Half fill a large saucepan with oil. Place over medium heat until oil reaches 170°C on a deep-frying thermometer. Deep-fry chicken, in batches, turning halfway through (5-6 minutes). Drain on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with paper towel to drain. Add to sweet vinegar sauce, turn to coat, then, thickly slice.
Divide fried chicken, steamed rice and mizuna among serving bowls. Serve topped with tartare sauce and scattered with shichimi togarashi.
