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Zangi
ザンギ: Hokkaido's boldly marinated bone-in fried chicken with a vinegar and pepper dip
Ask for fried chicken in Kushiro or Sapporo and you'll be handed zangi, which locals insist is not the same as karaage. A Kushiro restaurant says it coined the name around 1960, and today zangi shops, ski-lodge canteens and supermarket delis across Hokkaido sell it in big, bone-in pieces. The chicken soaks for hours in a punchy mix of soy, sake, garlic, ginger and oyster sauce with an egg beaten in, so the flavour runs right through the meat, and it often comes with a sharp dipping sauce of vinegar, soy and black pepper. The coating is a mix of flour and starch, so it fries darker and more savoury than karaage. Chef's tip: marinate it overnight in the fridge for the full Hokkaido flavour; 30 minutes works, but the difference is clear.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
For frying
For the vinegar-pepper dip
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Pat 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks dry and put it in a bowl. Add 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp black pepper and rub in well. Sake contains alcohol; for an alcohol-free marinade use 1 tbsp water and 1 tsp rice vinegar instead.
Step 2: Crack in 1 egg and mix until the chicken is coated in a thick, glossy marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for the best flavour.
30 minStep 3: Stir 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.
Step 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for frying in a deep, heavy pan to 325°F. Mix 1 ¾ oz plain flour and 1 ¾ oz potato starch (katakuriko) or cornflour on a plate, lift the chicken out of the marinade and press each piece into the mixture until well coated.
8 minStep 5: Fry a third of the chicken for 6–7 minutes, turning, until golden brown. Common mistake: frying bone-in pieces in very hot oil from the start. The coating goes dark before the meat by the bone is cooked; start at 325°F and finish hotter.
7 minStep 6: Lift onto a rack and fry the rest in two more batches. Leave each batch to rest on the rack for at least 4 minutes while the heat spreads to the bone.
14 minStep 7: Raise the oil to 350°F and fry all the pieces again in batches for 1½ minutes, until deep reddish-brown and crisp. Check the largest piece next to the bone: it must reach 165°F/165 °F with juices running clear and no pink meat.
5 minStep 8: Drain on the rack and serve hot with the vinegar-pepper dip on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zangi take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of oyster sauce?
- Hoisin sauce, same amount (sweeter).
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