Chicken Tempura

Ingredients 

• 500 gramschicken tenders
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoongrated ginger
• vegetable oil (for frying)
• 75 gramscake flour (chilled, ~½ cup)
• 25 grampotato starch (2 ½ tablespoons)
• 1egg (3 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup soda water (chilled)

Instructions

1. Cut the 500 grams chicken tenders into ¾-inch thick strips roughly the same thickness from end to end. If you’re using large tenders, you can cut them in half diagonally. Small tenders can be used without cutting them.
2. Add the chicken pieces to a medium bowl and marinate with 2 tablespoons sake, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon grated ginger. Ideally, you want to let this marinate in the fridge for an hour or more, but even a few minutes is better than none if you’re in a rush.
3. When you’re ready to fry up the Toriten, add an inch of vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot with high sides or a deep fryer and preheat it to 340°F (170°C) over medium heat. Prepare a paper towel-lined cooling rack.
4. Use a paper towel to soak up any excess marinade from the chicken strips and dry off the surface. This helps the batter to stick to the meat.
5. Once your oil is up to temperature, make the airy tempura batter in a separate bowl, by beating 1 egg in a large bowl until it is uniform in color.
6. Sift 75 grams cake flour and 25 gram potato starch into the egg mixture.
7. Partially stir the flour mixture into the egg.
8. Add ½ cup soda water and mix until there are no dry areas, but be careful not to over-mix the batter.
9. To fry the tempura, dip the chicken pieces in the batter to fully coat and add it to the oil. The batter is thin, so you need to work quickly so it doesn’t drip off.
10. Fry the chicken until the batter is crisp (about 3 minutes). It will start to brown around the edges, but it won’t be golden brown. Flip the tempura over periodically to ensure even cooking.
11. Transfer your tempura chicken fingers to the prepared rack to drain. I recommend lining your plate with paper to absorb any excess oil. Serve your Toriten with ponzu, tempura dipping sauce,  or salt and lemon juice.