Hapanese Cuisine

Happy Girls’ Day! 🎊

If you’re not Japanese, you might not have heard of this holiday before. Girls’ Day, also known as Hina-Matsuri, is celebrated on March 3 every year. Celebrations traditionally include setting up a display of dolls that depict a wedding from the Heian period (794-1185 AD), along with parties and nagashi-bina ceremonies by the rivers. The displays can be absolutely stunning, with a number of intricately carved dolls arranged on a multi-tiered, bright red doll stand.

Being in the mainland US, my family always celebrated a little differently. Instead of arranging delicate dolls on a stand every year, I got a Hello Kitty plush toy that was wrapped in a kimono. (Knowing how uncoordinated I could be as a kid, I think my parents made the right choice in keeping me away from anything that fragile!) Along with that, we would always have some kind of Japanese food, even if it was a little bit Americanized.

That was the inspiration for this Crispy Teriyaki Chicken recipe. With my mom’s teriyaki sauce recipe, this dish blends together elements of both my Japanese and American heritage in a way that you’re going to love!

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Crispy Teriyaki Chicken

Sauce:

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 TBSP ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup cornstarch

Oil for frying

1 medium yellow onion, julienned

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

Combine soy sauce, sugars, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and stir until thickened to a glaze consistency, about 5 minutes.

Prepare a breading station. Toss the chicken in a bag with the flour, and shake to evenly coat. Dip the pieces in the egg, then coat with the cornstarch. Heat the oil to 350F, then fry the chicken in batches until the crust is a light golden brown. Keep the cooked chicken covered in a large metal bowl until all the batches are finished.

Heat 1 TBSP of oil in a sauté pan on medium heat, then cook the onions and mushrooms in the pan in the onions are tender and the mushrooms are browned. Toss the vegetables and chicken with the teriyaki sauce until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Serves about 5.