Japanese Fried Chicken ( Tori no Kara-age) eggplant, chard with apples and bacon and rice.

Tori no Kara-age  Japanese fried Chicken

From The Japanese Kitchen by Hiroko Shimbo

1 1/4 lbs. Chicken thighs, bones and skin attached

1/4 C, shoyu

1/4 C. mirin

2 Tbsp. sake

1 Tbsp peeled, finely grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 tsp ground chile pepper (cayenne)

1/8 tsp ground allspice

10 coriander seeds, toasted and crushed

1 C. potato starch or cornstarch

Vegetable oil for deep frying

lemon wedges

With a cleaver,hack the chicken on the bone into 2-inch pieces

In a large bowl, combine shoyu, mirin, sake, ginger, garled, cayenne, allspice and crushed coriander seeds.  Add the chicken to the bowl, toss with the seasonings and  let stand for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, covered.  Remove the bowl from the refrigerator, drain then chicken in a colander, discarding the marinade.  Wipe each chicken piece with a paper towel.

Put the potato starch or cornstarch into a large pan.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and lightly coat them with the starch.  Pat each chicken piece to remove the excess starch.  Let the chicken stand for 3 minutes.

In a large deep pot heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 320º cook the chicken in small batches, turning them once or twice until they are slightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes.  Drain the chicken on a rack.

Increase the oil to 360º Fry the chicken again in small batches to make tho outside crisp and golden.. Drain the chicken on the rack.

Serve the chicken with lemon wedge.

CHAR, BACON AND APPLE

3 slice(s) bacon, diced 

1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced 

1 Gala apple, cored and diced 

1 bunch(es) (about 3/4 pound) chard, well rinsed

1/4 teaspoon(s) fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon(s) cracked black pepper 

Preparation

Place a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in apple.

Meanwhile, cut off the stems of the chard and slice them thinly. Chop the leaves. Stir stems and leaves into the skillet along with the bacon, salt and pepper. Pour in 2 tablespoons water; cover the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until chard is tender, about 8 more minutes.

Eggplant (Williams Sonoma)

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
• 1 1⁄2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 lb. globe or Asian eggplant
• 1 tsp. sea salt, if using globe eggplant
• 1 Tbs. peanut or grapeseed oil
• 3 Tbs. diagonally sliced green onions, both
    white and tender green portions
• 1 Tbs. sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

Prepare the sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Place the bowl near the stove so you can easily reach it.

Prepare the eggplant
If you are using globe eggplant, use a chef's knife to trim the stem end and the base, then cut in half lengthwise. Place the halves, cut side down, on the cutting board and cut each half lengthwise into slices about 3⁄4 inch wide. Lay the slices flat and cut crosswise into sticks about 3⁄4 inch thick. Put the eggplant strips in a bowl and toss with the salt. Transfer to a colander and let stand in the sink or over a bowl to release the bitter juices, about 1 hour. Turn the eggplant out onto several layers of paper towels and let drain; pat to absorb any excess moisture.

Alternatively, if you are using Asian eggplant, it is not necessary to salt them, as they are milder than globe eggplant. Just trim the stem ends and cut them on the diagonal into slices about 1 inch thick.