2 lbs bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs
2″ ginger, peeled and minced or grated (or 1 tsp floor ginger)
3 tbsp tamari (or 5 tbsp coconut aminos)
2 tbsp sake or mirin (ideally 1 tbsp every)
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup potato starch, extra if wanted
2 cups lard, duck fats, avocado oil, or coconut oil
kosher salt to style
sliced inexperienced onion to serve
lemon slices to serve
togarashi powder to serve
Ponzu dipping sauce:
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup sake or mirin (ideally 1/4 cup every)
1 tsp honey
1 small (3″x3″) piece of kombu
1/2 ounce bonito flakes (Katsuobushi)
1/4 cup lime juice (juice of two limes)
1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1/2 cup tamari
1. Utilizing a pointy knife or kitchen shears, reduce the bone out of the rooster thigh, then reduce the rooster into bite-sized items (it’s higher to chop them so they don’t seem to be uniform, in order that they give the impression of being extra attention-grabbing when cooked). In a big mixing bowl, mix the rooster, ginger, tamari, sake, and honey, then stir to mix. Cowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for half-hour whilst you put together your Ponzu dipping sauce.
2. In a small saucepan, mix the rice vinegar, sake, and honey. Deliver to a simmer over medium warmth, then add the kombu and simmer for 1 minute. Take away from warmth and stir within the bonito flakes, then cool for 10 minutes. Utilizing a superb sieve, pressure the liquid right into a separate mixing bowl, and discard the solids (you possibly can rinse and eat the kombu if you happen to’d like, or use it to make one other batch of sauce). Add the lime juice, lemon juice, and tamari to the blending bowl, then put aside.
3. Heat the lard or oil in a skillet or saucepan over medium-high warmth; for this kind of frying, I like to make use of a tall saucepan as a result of it offers the oil extra depth to work with. Because the oil warms, switch the rooster to a colander to empty any extra liquid marinade. As soon as the oil reaches 325F, toss the rooster items with the potato starch in order that they’re coated – it’ll principally appear to be a giant mushy pile. Utilizing tongs or chopsticks, take away items of rooster from the pile and add them to the oil, and fry in batches till simply previous golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per batch. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels, then mud with kosher salt and serve with the Ponzu dipping sauce.
** To make a Japanese (Kewpie) model mayo, mix 5 tbsp mayonnaise with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp honey, and a touch of salt and white pepper.
