When comes to fried chicken, tori karaage (鶏の唐揚げ) is by far my favourite dish. It is simple to make and taste stupendously good. However, if we have some extra time to spare and a jar of fermented bean curd sitting in our kitchen, something else would pop up in our mind. They call it, fermented bean curd fried chicken (南乳炸雞).
Fermented bean curd itself is not a delightful food to consume. It can be too salty and overwhelmingly pungent to some. My late grandparents used to eat it with porridge or rice which I still find it hard to accept. However for some reason when it is used in cooking, it becomes a different story. Especially fried chicken.
When used in marinating chicken, together with other ingredients with the likes of ginger, garlic, Chinese 5 spices, and more. It makes the chicken much juicy and tasty. Furthermore, the overly pungent of the fermented bean curd is much more subtle. It could be the ginger or other ingredients that make it less standout, but subtle is a good thing here. It makes for a delicious fried chicken.
Some tips though
- We are using wings for this recipe. If you do not like wings, drumsticks and thighs are both a good substitute to achieve the same juicy fried chicken.
- It is best to give the fermented bean curd a taste before marinating. I know, I know, it’s unbearable but it is for the best. Not all fermented bean curds are made the same. Some are sweeter, some more saltier. Knowing your fermented bean curd so that you could better adjust the taste for your fried chicken.
- Marinating process would take about 4 hours minimum for the flavour to penetrate into the chicken. Marinate the chicken a day before for better results.
Alright! It is time for cooking! Rush down the market and get some wings, a jar of fermented bean curd, and everything else. Make yourself a decent fried wings~
Fermented bean curd fried chicken (南乳炸雞)
Equipment
- Pot or Wok for deep frying
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken wings
Ingredients for marinate
- 3 cube Fermented bean curd
- 1 tbsp Fermented bean curd sauce
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 clove Garlic
- 3 Shallots
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Rice wine (sake)
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spices
- 1/4 tsp Grated white pepper
- 2 tsp Sugar (adjust to your liking)
Flour needed
- 50 g Potato Starch
- 50 g All purposed flour
Instructions
Marinate the wings
- Prepare the marinate sauce by combine everything in a blender. Blend it nicely until they turn into paste.
- Pour the marinate sauce into a big bowl. Add both potato starch and all purposed flour in. Mix them well. Then add the chicken in. Let it marinate for at least 4 hours
Deep frying
- Heat enough cooking oil in a pot or wok to 170 degree Celsius. Fry the wings 1 or 2 pieces at a time until crispy and cooked.
- Fry the remaining wings and we are done!
- It's dig in time~
