[Anime Culture Monday] Anime Recipes! Karaage (Fried Chicken) from Shougeki no Soma (Food Wars!) and Vegetable Tempura from Fate/Stay Night: UBW

7:00 PM November 22, 2015

Hello everyone and welcome back to “eat like your anime faves,” a series where I teach you how to eat like characters do in anime. That’s right; you learn how to cook real Japanese food from anime. I’m back again to give you some more of what you love!

This week we have some repeat offenders shows that are bringing you some delicious food. We wrote about Udon that appeared in Shougeki no Soma that’s great when you’re sick or just feeling a bit under the weather. This time we have what is arguably the pinnacle of Japanese food after the big ones like sushi, onigiri, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and the like; karaage or Japanese-style fried chicken! It’s much more earth-shattering than you realize right now. Karaage is in its own league of fried chicken. We also have another show coming back. Previously there was an “Eat Like your faves” that used Nabe (hotpot), that came from Fate/Stay Night: UBW. This week we have one of the best ways to eat vegetables, veggie tempura. Let’s just go ahead though, and get right into it!

Karaage (Fried Chicken) from Shougeki no Soma

If you needed any indication of how big karaage is to Japan and to anime, look no further than the evidence pointed out in Shougeki no Soma. There is a whole ARC (that’s right, I didn’t mistype), dedicated to cooking karaage. Episodes 17-18 of the anime deals with said arc. Soma takes on Mozuya with Ikumi and Mayu to try and bring business back to the shopping district and defeat the evil Mozuya chain. Soma does use a spicy chili marinade for his chicken, but not everyone can handle spicy, so that will be listed in the optional section below. Try making both though if you can because each has its own merit!

This recipe involves frying in oil. Inform an adult of what you are doing. You are also handling raw meat. Thoroughly wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces when you are done.

What you will need:( Serves two to three people )

chicken (~600g)

1/2 pounds

cooking wine/cooking sake (WHITE)

2 tbsp

soy sauce

2 tbsp

grated garlic

2 tsp

grated ginger

1 tsp

fish stock granules (Dashi)

1/2 tsp

Oil for frying

Katakuriko (potato starch flour) & All purpose flour

This should be mixed in a 1:1 ratio of 3 tbsp each.

Katakuriko can be found at asian markets.

Note:

if it’s impossible to find any, corn starch will work but the texture will be slightly different.

Optional Ingredients:

To make it spicy, feel free to add 2 tbsp of toubanjiang/doubanjiang (Spicy bean paste) to really kick up the flavor. 2 tsp – 1 tbsp of chili powder is also suggested for those who are brave.

How to Cook It:

1
Cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces and cut small slits in the chicken. This will allow the flavors to penetrate deeper into the meat and ehance the flavor.
2
Once done, put everything marked with an (*) into a giant Ziploc or freezer bag and wash your hands.
3
Massage the bag once you close it to make sure that the flavors are soaking into the meat. This is the trick to this recipe! Then place it in the fridge and let it sit for at least 1 hour.
4
Begin to heat your oil in a deep frying pan to 170°C/335°F.
5
Do not heat the oil too fast because if you do, it will spit and getting burned is not fun! Try to wear an apron if you can.
6
Using long cooking chopsticks, skewers, or tongs, take the chicken out of the bag and deep fry (Submerge in the oil) until golden brown. If your oil is at the right temperature, it should not take more than about 3-5 minutes for one batch.
7
Cook the whole bag of chicken.
8
Squeeze a couple lemon wedges over it and it’s done!
9
Dig in!

(Note: If you are underage, or new to cooking, be sure to let your parent/guardian know what you are doing. We don’t want you to get hurt! )

It seems more complicated than it actually is. This recipe is really straight forward and other than letting the chicken marinate for a bit, you can prep and cook it all in a combined total of about 30 minutes! Karaage is a perfect side dish to go with Udon or ramen! Check out previous Eat like your faves articles for how to make them.

Yum!

Vegetable Tempura – Fate/Stay Night: UBS

Not everyone loves vegetables. This is a fact of life. Tempura makes all vegetables taste amazing without fail. Tempura is another major pillar of Japanese cooking. You dip items in an egg and flour coating and then fry them. There is no logic, fancy trick, or magic behind it other than that it is delicious. Tempura is usually served as a side dish with a main meal, but it can be the center of a meal as well if a meat, usually shrimp, is fried along with it!

Shiro and Saber dig in on this meal in episode four and it’s included in a fantastic display of food. The picture below would make anyone’s mouth water. Veggie tempura, much like karaage is served as a side dish. Veggie tempura goes really well with Udon, or as a dish with karaage. For Udon, check out our previous “eat like your faves” for how to make it!

If you are making this with karaage, you should make this while the chicken is marinating in the fridge. It is not recommended to cook this after the karaage as all the vegetables will taste like the marinade.

This recipe involves frying in oil. Inform an adult of what you are doing. Work slowly and carefully. Do not rush! We don’t want you to get hurt!

What you will need:

For the batter

All-purpose flour

1 cup (~200 ml)

karakuriko (Potato starch flour) ((corn starch will work here too))

2 tbsp

ice cold water

2/3 cup (~150ml)

mayonnaise

1 tbsp

vinegar

1 tbsp

salt

1 dash

For the rest of the dish

Veggies that you like! Common ones are

broccoli

1 cup

sliced carrots

1 cup

mushrooms

1 cup

onion (Only peel it. Do not cut it up beyond cutting it in half!)

sliced sweet potatoes

1 cup

sliced lotus root

1 cup

bell pepper strips (green, red, yellow, orange) any are okay.

1 cup

cubed squash (yellow, kabocha, etc)

1 cup

Note:

Serves about 2-5 people depending on how much you cook/make. I recommend the amount of batter for about 2 cups of veggies. So simply double/triple the batter if you are cooking more!

How to Cook It:

1
Slowly heat up your frying oil to about 335°F/170°C. Heat it up slowly so it does not spit!
2
Take everything for the batter and mix it stirring rapidly. The trick is to NOT let this reach room temperature. In fact, between frying batches, put the batter in the fridge. When you are ready to make the next batch, simply take it out, stir it quickly, and then dip away!
3
Test the oil once it reaches temperature by dipping a fork or chopstick in the batter and drop a few drops of batter into the oil. If it floats, then you’re ready!
4
Begin by dipping your veggies in the batter and then plunge them into the oil.
5
They would be in there for about 3-5 minutes and then it will be done. Honestly, the lower times are for thin things like mushrooms, carrots and onions. The larger times are for broccoli, squash and roots. Test a piece of each out to see how your fryer or pan works the best and adjust time as you need!
6
Once they have cooked all the way through, place them on either a cooling rack or paper towels to drain excess oil.
7
Once you have fried everything and it’s cooled, dig in!

And there you have it! Tempura, like stated above, goes great with karaage as a dinner with some rice. It also goes well in bento! Tempura and karaage are staples together. We are sure that you will find veggie tempura more agreeable to regular veggies because they turn out a bit more sweet when cooked this way! Once could…. Say make the karaage from above and while it’s marinating, cook this recipe and then use the hot oil to cook the karaage afterwards.

Yum!

Unfortunately, we are at the end of another “eat like your faves.” I really hope that you enjoy these each week and look forward to them. Please tell us in the comments if you’ve ever made anything from this series or if you want to see something explained! We will be more than happy to light the way.

Until next time!

Editor/Translator

Author: Nagareboshi

American by birth; international by choice. I am trying to bring attention to one of my favorite causes; me. I translate by day and write by night. Aspiring polyglot. My dream would be to be the personal translator for Amuro Namie. Other than that, my hobbies include languages, weightlifting, sleeping, karaoke, GOOD coffee and music. When I’m not doing any of the above, I am most likely laughing hysterically at Willam Belli videos or EV farming. I ain’t gunna Rupologize for it neither. Waifu are Shirai Kuroko & Euaerin.

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