Tori-Kawa (Chicken Skin)

Stir-fried chicken skin with sweet ans salty sauce.  If you like tori-kawa (chicken skin), it’s a great dish at very cheap cost

Some people like soft texture of skin, but I like it crispy.  So I grilled the skin until golden before adding the seasoning sauce.  It goes with steamed rice, and also can be great accompaniment to alcohol drinks.

<Recipe> serves 3~4

• 2 cups chicken skin
• 2 cups beanshoots
• few leaves cabbage
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs mirin

a

1. Cut chicken skin into pieces.  Cut cabbage.
2. Place chicken skin in a frying pan with no oil, and turn on the heat. When the skin starts to sizzle, turn the heat down and grill until golden and crispy.  Wipe away the excess fat with kitchen paper.  It makes the dish light and healthy.
3. Add beanshoots and cabbage.  Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add sugar, soy sauce and mirin.  Cook until the liquid is almost gone and the skin is caramelised.

a

Chicken Katsu

Katsu is a Japanese dish of deep-fried food with breadcrumb.  It’s usually pork when you say “katsu”, but it also can be chicken, fish and prawn.  (pork = ton-katsu, prawn = ebi-katsu)  There is a popular dish called kushi-katsu too, which is skewered, breadcrumbed, deep-fried foods.  Kushi-katsu can be made with variety of foods.  Nowadays I can find very unique ones in Japan such as fresh fruits and ice-cream.

The standard katsu (ton-katsu) usually uses thick meat, and is served sliced with shredded cabbage.  In Nagoya in Japan is famous for miso katsu as it’s Nagoya’s speciality food.  If you have chance going there, try one of those!

I used chicken to make katsu this time, and I sliced the meat pretty thin.  I did it so that it cooks faster and makes it crispier.

This accompanied sauce is not miso based.  Few different sauces are blended.  You can buy ton-katsu sauce at Asian grocery shops too.

<Chicken Katsu>  serves 2

• 1 fillet chicken thigh *(you may use chicken breast if you prefer)
• plain flour, egg, breadcrumb to coat
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded

sauce

• 1 tbs tomato sauce
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbs grated onion
• 1 tsp iri-goma (coarsley ground roasted white sesame seeds) ← optional

a

1. Slice chicken fillet into two thin pieces.  Duct with flour, then dip in egg wash, and coat evenly with breadcrumb.
2. Deep-fry the chicken until golden.  Set aside.
3. Mix all the ingredients from “sauce”.
4. Shred cabbage.
5. Slice katsu, and arrange on a plate.  Serve with cabbage and sauce.

a

Miso Yakitori

Yakitori, grilled skewered-chicken dish, is usually seasoned with either salt (shio) or soy sauce-based sauce (tare), but here is another option.  Brush the chicken with sweet miso paste while grilling –  it gives the shine and great sweet miso taste to the chicken

<Miso Yakitori> serves 4

• 4 fillets chicken thigh
• spring onion stalks / cucumber
• 3 tbs red miso paste
• 1.5 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• 1.5 tbs mirin (sweet cooking wine)
• 1.5 tbs sugar

a

1. Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes.
2. Cut the chicken into cubes.  Chop onion and cucumber into 2cm.
3. Skewer the chicken and spring onion/cucumber alternatively.
4. Mix the miso, sake, mirin and sugar.
5. Heat a grill pan and spray oil.  Place the chicken skewers and grill one side, then flip it around.
6. Start brushing the miso mixture to the chicken.  (miso gets burned easily)  Brush one side, then flip it around, brush another side, … continue until the chicken is cooked.
7. Serve with steamed rice ♪ or a glass or beer.

White Chicken Soup 2

It sure has been great Autumn days Lately. Some people don’t like cold weather and have winter-blue, but I love the quiet atmosphere and cold air outside.

On days like this, a plate of hearty soup shows up on my dining table at least once a week. I made white chicken soup again, but this time I made the soup little thick. Adding rice flour to the soup is a quick and healthy way to thicken the soup, compared with making butter roux. Today I had 2 bowls for lunch, and my body is warm and nourished

• 2 fillets chicken thigh
• 3 celery stalks
• 2 baby carrots
• 2 spring onion stalks
• 1 potato
• 1/2 broccoli (florets)
• 2 cups chicken stocks
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tbs rice flour

1. Cut vegetables and chicken thigh into cubes. For broccoli florets, cut into small pieces.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a deep sauce pan, and add cerely, carrots and onions. Sauté for a minutes, then add chicken. Sprinkle salt & pepper to the chicken, and cook for 3~4 minutes over low/medium heat.
3. Add chicken stock, potatoes and broccoli. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Mix rice flour into milk, and blend well. Add to the soup, and cook until the soup is thickened. Season to taste.

aa

White Chicken Soup with Cheesy Bagel Toast

It’s been a little warm again the last few days, but yesterday was raining and the air was nicely cool.  This Easter holiday has been a nice and quiet one for me, as all in-laws are overseas and D and I don’t have any plan.  It’s good, I like days like this

I made some white soup with chicken and leftover vegetables.  I love eating soup all year around.  It’s hearty, and you can eat many kinds of vegetables at once.

<White Chicken Soup>

• 300g chicken breast
• 1 onion (large)
• 1/2 zucchini
• 2 potatoes
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup milk

* You can add/replace with any kinds of vegetables!

a

1. Slice chicken into bite pieces.  Dice onion, zucchini and potatoes.
2. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a deep pan, and cook chicken and onion until the onion is almost transparent.  Add zucchini, and pour chicken stock to the pan.  Add potatoes and bring to the gentle boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer for few minutes.
3. Add the mixed vegetables and milk to the pan.  Season.  Simmer further few minutes.

a