Chicken Karaage

1.Combine all the marinade ingredients into a large bowl.

2.Cut the chicken thighs into ¼ piece squares by slices in half then half again, to make 4 pieces with each thigh. Make sure to keep the skin on for extra crispy texture. Then transfer the chicken to the marinade. Mix well and cover, leave in the fridge for 30 mins to overnight.

3.Meanwhile, combine all the sesame dip ingredients in a bowl with finely sliced chives or spring onions. Then slice the lemons into wedges for garnish.

4.For the sesame salt, grind the toasted sesame seeds with the salt and set aside.

5.For the slaw: Finely shred all the cabbage using a mandoline. If you don’t have a mandoline, thinly slice the cabbage. Wash the cabbage in cold tap water and drain, then set aside.

6.Add the potato starch and all purpose flour to a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix well. Now remove the chicken from the fridge and mix in a whole egg, making sure to coat all the chicken.

7.Add the marinated chicken into the bowl of flour and evenly coat. Then, place it into your palm to lightly cup it into a ball shape. Repeat with all the pieces, set aside.

8.Pour the neutral oil into a medium sized pot, making sure the oil is filled ⅓ of the way up the pot. Heat the oil to 160°C for the first fry. Fry the chicken in batches, cooking them for 2 mins on each side and then flip. The chicken should be a pale golden. Remove the chicken using a spider and place onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.

9.For the second fry: Increase the oil heat to 170°C and fry the chicken for a second time for 1-2 mins, until golden brown. Using the spider, transfer the chicken to a wire rack and sprinkle over the sesame sea salt.

10.Dress the cabbage with sesame oil, and salt. Massage a few spoons of the sesame dip over the cabbage. Eat with the fresh, hot Japanese-fried chicken, and the sesame dipping sauce. Serve with a slice of lemon.