Toriten (とり天, Ōita chicken tempura)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep heavy pot or wok
• •Cooking thermometer
• •Long cooking chopsticks or tongs
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Small dipping dish for ponzu and karashi

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the chicken

   Slice the chicken across the grain into thin bite-size pieces, about 1cm thick. Keep them even. Even pieces finish together, and with tempura batter that matters because the coating should stay pale and crisp while the chicken cooks through.

2. 2

   Season briefly

   Put the chicken in a bowl with the shōyu, sake, ginger, garlic, and salt. Mix with your hand until the pieces feel lightly slick, then leave them for 15 minutes. This is seasoning, not a long marinade. Too much time in soy makes the surface wet and salty, and the batter will slide instead of cling.

   Pat the chicken lightly if it looks very wet after resting. A damp surface accepts flour; a dripping one throws the coating off in the oil.
3. 3

   Heat the oil

   Pour neutral oil into a deep pot to a depth of about 3cm and heat it to 170 C. If you have no thermometer, drop in a little batter. It should sink halfway, then rise with small lively bubbles. If it browns at once, the oil is too hot for chicken.

4. 4

   Mix the batter

   Beat the egg with the ice-cold water just until loose. Add the flour and potato starch, then stir briefly with chopsticks until streaks and small lumps remain. Cold, undermixed batter fries light because the flour has less chance to form gluten. Smooth batter looks obedient in the bowl and behaves badly in the pot.

   Set the batter bowl over ice if your kitchen is warm. Tempura asks for cold batter meeting hot oil.
5. 5

   Dust and dip

   Dust the chicken pieces lightly with the reserved flour and shake off the excess. Dip each piece into the batter just before frying. The flour gives the batter something to hold, but too much flour makes a pasty layer under the crust.

6. 6

   Fry in batches

   Lower the chicken into the oil one piece at a time and fry in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Don't crowd the pot. Crowding drops the oil temperature, and the batter drinks oil before it crisps. The toriten should be pale gold, crisp at the edges, and cooked through.

7. 7

   Drain cleanly

   Lift the pieces to a rack, not a flat plate. Air underneath keeps the coating crisp, while a plate traps oil and softens the bottom. Check one larger piece: the juices should run clear and the center should be fully cooked.

8. 8

   Serve with ponzu

   Stir the karashi into the ponzu in a small dish. Serve the toriten at once with the dipping sauce, lemon wedges if you like, and shredded cabbage if it suits the table. Arrange the pieces in a small mound, not a heap. Leave it room.

Chef Tips

• •Thigh meat is forgiving and juicy, which is why many home cooks choose it. Breast meat is also used in Ōita, but slice it thin and don't overfry it. The knife decides more than the clock here.
• •Use cake flour if you can. Its lower protein makes a lighter batter. All-purpose flour works as a stand-in, but stir even less and keep it cold.
• •Karashi is sharper and cleaner than Western yellow mustard. If you can't find it, serve ponzu alone rather than pretending another mustard is the same thing.
• •Fry in two or three small batches. A quiet pot is not virtue here; the oil should bubble actively around each piece without roaring.

Advance Preparation

• •Slice the chicken up to one day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator, but season it only 15 to 20 minutes before frying.
• •The ponzu and karashi dipping sauce can be mixed a few hours ahead and refrigerated.
• •Do not make the batter ahead. Mix it just before frying so it stays cold and loose.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 205g)