唐揚げ

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 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. ''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 (then written as ) were in the Genroku period at the end of the 17th century. Chicken was popularized as a "Chinese-style" restaurant food (using the characters , where 唐 means Tang) in the 1930s. There exists considerable disagreement among newspapers and publishers in Japan about the preferred kanji, leading some to write it phonetically as .

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 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 Festival in Nakatsu, over 60 different shops participate to provide unique versions of the dish. Shops which advertise "Nakatsu ''karaage''" can be found throughout Japan.

In Japan, chicken 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.

Regional

Since has spread throughout Japan, there have been many regional takes on the dish, the most notable ones including:

* – Hokkaido prefecture's version of , made with a marinade and served with a spicy dipping sauce.

* – Nagoya's version of , made with bone in chicken wings, sprinkled with sesame seeds and basted with a special sauce.

* Chicken – Miyazaki prefecture’s version of , dipped in sweet vinegar and topped with tartar sauce.

* – Okinawa prefecture’s version of . ''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.

* – Korea's take on fried chicken, very similar to , but usually made with milk and a sweet/spicy sauce consisting of soy sauce, rice wine, red chili pepper paste, honey, and seasonings.

* – A version of popular in Yamaguchi prefecture. Shimonoseki is known as the capital of fugu and many restaurants serving fugu can be found around the city. The flesh, organs, and bones of the blowfish are deep-fried.

File:餃子の王将 (15673149720).jpg, Chicken at Gyoza no Ohsho
File:Gobo karaage by ayustety in Tomioka, Tokyo.jpg, '' Gobō''
File:Octopus karaage by june29.jpg, Octopus
File:じゃがべー.jpg, Potato
File:Fugu karaage by rhosoi.jpg, Fugu
File:Grukun.jpg, " Bananafish"
File:Dak-gangjeong 3.jpg, ''Dakgangjeong'', a similar style of fried chicken consumed in Korea

in the media

* 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 when he visited Japan.
* The dish of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is deep-fried chicken , such as Okinawan-style deep-fried chicken. It has been used to promote the JASDF.

See also

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

References

External links

Japan Karaage Association


Karaage JP


Photos and further info about karaage


Chicken Karaage recipe video
(in English)

{{Chicken dishes, state=collapsed

Deep fried foods of Japan
Japanese Chinese cuisine
Fried chicken
Japanese chicken dishes