Ingredients

• 600 g boneless skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
• 1 tbsp sake
• 15 g fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 60 g potato starch (katakuriko)
• 1 L neutral vegetable oil
• 1 lemon
• 150 g cabbage

Method

1. 01
   Cut the chicken Pat the chicken thighs dry and cut them into bite-size pieces about four centimetres across, leaving the skin on.
2. 02
   Mix the marinade In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sake, grated ginger, grated garlic, sugar and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves.
3. 03
   Marinate the chicken Add the chicken to the marinade, massage it in with your hands, then cover and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
4. 04
   Heat the oil Pour the oil into a deep heavy pot to a depth of about four centimetres and heat it to one hundred and seventy degrees Celsius.
5. 05
   Coat in potato starch Drain off any pooled marinade, then toss the chicken pieces in the potato starch until every piece is evenly and lightly coated.
6. 06
   Fry the first batch Gently lower half of the chicken into the oil, one piece at a time, and fry for three minutes, turning once, until pale golden.
7. 07
   Rest the first batch Lift the chicken onto a wire rack and let it rest for four minutes while the leftover heat finishes cooking the inside.
8. 08
   Fry the second batch Fry the remaining chicken the same way for three minutes, then move it to the rack to rest for four minutes.
9. 09
   Raise the oil temperature Turn up the heat and bring the oil to about one hundred and ninety degrees Celsius.
10. 10
    Fry a second time Return all the chicken to the hot oil in two batches and fry each batch for about one minute, until deep golden and very crisp.
11. 11
    Drain and serve Drain the karaage on the rack for a minute, then serve hot with lemon wedges and a pile of shredded cabbage.