Karaage (唐揚げ, 空揚げ, or から揚げ;[kaɾaːɡe]) is aJapanese cooking technique in which various foods—most oftenchicken, but also other meat and fish—aredeep fried in oil. The process involves lightly coating small pieces of meat or fish with a combination offlour andpotato starch orcorn starch, and frying in a light oil. The foods aremarinated prior to coating. The process differs from the preparation oftempura, which is not marinated and uses abatter for coating.[1]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 calledtatsuta-age (竜田揚げ).
The first references to a style of frying calledkaraage (then written as空揚) were in theGenroku period at the end of the 17th century. Chickenkaraage was popularized as a "Chinese-style" restaurant food (using the characters唐揚, where 唐 meansTang) in the 1930s. There exists considerable disagreement among newspapers and publishers in Japan about the preferredkanji, leading some to write it phonetically asからあげ.
When used without a modifier,karaage usually refers to the chicken version of the dish; this has been the most common application of the cooking style since makingkaraage at home became more popular afterWorld War II. Thepost-war increase in the popularity ofkaraage is said to have begun inŌita Prefecture in neighboring citiesUsa andNakatsu. At the annualKaraage Festival in Nakatsu, over 60 different shops participate to provide unique versions of the dish.[2][3] Shops which advertise "Nakatsukaraage" can be found throughout Japan.[4][5]
In Japan, chickenkaraage is commonly available in convenience stores such asLawson,FamilyMart, and7-Eleven as a fast-food item. It is also readily available in food stands throughout Japan.[6]
Sincekaraage has spread throughout Japan, there have been many regional takes on the dish, the most notable ones including:[7]
Zangi –Hokkaido prefecture's version ofkaraage, made with a marinade and served with a spicy dipping sauce.
Tebasaki –Nagoya's version ofkaraage, made with bone in chicken wings, sprinkled with sesame seeds and basted with a special sauce.
Chickennanban –Miyazaki prefecture’s version ofkaraage, dipped in sweet vinegar and topped with tartar sauce.
Gurukun no kara-age –Okinawa prefecture’s version ofkaraage.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.
Dakgangjeong[8] –Korea's take on fried chicken, very similar tokaraage, but usually made with milk and a sweet/spicy sauce consisting of soy sauce, rice wine, red chili pepper paste, honey, and seasonings.
Fugu no kara-age – A version ofkaraage popular inYamaguchi prefecture.Shimonoseki is known as the capital offugu[9] and many restaurants serving fugukaraage can be found around the city. The flesh, organs, and bones of the blowfish are deep-fried.
Karaage has become embedded in Japanese cuisine and has made several TV appearances. Probably the most notable appearance has been in the anime/manga seriesShokugeki no Souma, a show about a young aspiring chef who sticks to his roots in family restaurant food.[10]
Another notable mention was byAnthony Bourdain. Bourdain sang praises for the Japanese fried dish in an interview, saying that he always stopped byLawson to pick upkaraage when he visited Japan.[11]
.jpg)
