Karaage at Juraku, Two Ways

Most people order karaage expecting Japanese fried chicken. That is close enough, but the part that makes it karaage is not the chicken.

It is the starch.

NYT Cooking mentioned ours in one of their videos. That was a good week.

Why We Serve It

Karaage is the dish I point at when someone asks what an izakaya tastes like. It goes with beer, it goes with a highball, and it goes with staying at the bar longer than you planned. Every izakaya has a version of it. Not having one would be strange.

What Makes It Karaage

We coat in potato starch, not flour. Starch fries thinner and lighter, and it shatters instead of flaking. Western fried chicken builds a thick crust that holds the moisture in by weight. Karaage builds a brittle one and lets the marinade do that job instead.

The frying technique reached Japan through Chinese and Portuguese cooking, and the dish in the form we serve it is a twentieth century one, not an ancient one. The soy sauce, ginger and garlic in the marinade are what make it read as Japanese rather than as fried chicken with a different batter.

How We Serve It

Two versions, one marinade:

• Signature Karaage — soy, garlic, ginger and a little sesame oil, potato starch, fried, then our house spicy mayo and a wedge of lemon
• Oroshi Karaage — the same marinade and coating, finished with grated daikon and a yuzu wasabi dressing

The Oroshi is the lighter of the two. The acidity cuts the fry, which is why it holds up better deeper into the night.

What to Pair It With

Signature wants a Kirishima shochu highball or a Japanese lager. Oroshi wants a dry sake, or something citrus forward.

Try It at Juraku

Available now at Izakaya Juraku, Lower East Side. Order it early, and order it for the table.

Kanpai.

See the rest of the menu.