How to Cook Japanese Deep-Fried Chicken with Shio Koji - Wafu Karaage

      Last night, my husband and I cooked Japanese deep-fried chicken, which is called wafu karaage (和風唐揚げ) in Japan. Wafu (和風) means Japanese style, so the chicken is seasoned with Japanese condiments such as soy sauce and sake. This time, we also used garlic and shio koji (塩麹, 塩糀) for this deep-fried chicken. Shio koji makes meat tender and flavorful. It was soft inside because of shio koji and crispy outside. It had savory soy sauce taste and delicious garlic aroma. It tasted so good! :) As I mentioned in my previous entry, Top 10 Most Popular Japanese Foods, karaage is also one of the most popular Japanese foods for foreign people. If you have never tried wafu karaage before, you should try it. It's pretty easy to cook. :) If you are planning on traveling Japan, you can order wafu karaage at izakaya restaurants there. 

What is Shio Koji?
       Shio koji (塩麹, しおこうじ) and ama koji (甘麹, あまこうじ) have been popular seasoning in Japan these years. Actually, koji (麹, こうじ) is a traditional Japanese fermented ingredient which is used to make variety of foods such as miso, soy sauce and Japanese alcohol. I remembered that my grandmother used to use koji to make homemade miso paste from scratch when I was a child in Japan. Now, most people in Japan don't make homemade miso anymore because miso is very affordable, so it's easier to purchase commercial miso paste at supermarkets. However, people see koji in a new light. Koji is a high nutrient food which contains essential amino acids, vitamin B, folic acid and etc. Moreover, shio koji and ama koji are very useful ingredients that make meat tender and create natural umami flavor. Shio koji can be used a substitute for salt, and ama koji can be used a substitute for sugar.

        Today, I'm going to share with you how to cook Japanese deep-fried chicken with shio koji. 

Shio Koji

Ingredients (4 Servings)
2 lb of Chicken Thigh (Chopped)
2 Tablespoons of Shio Koji
2 Tablespoons of Sake
1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
2 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)
1/2 Inch of Ginger (Minced)
Potato Starch, Katakuriko



1. Put all ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Place it in refrigerator and marinate it for overnight.

2. Coat chicken with potato starch.

3. Deep-fry them until cooked.

5. Enjoy!

       These are my entries you might like.
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■Top 10 Most Popular Japanese Foods 

■My Top 15 Must Eat Foods in Japan - My Favorite Japanese Foods

■How to Make Japanese Deep Fried Chicken, Kara-Age

■How to Cook Japanese Curry

■How to Cook Miso Soup

■How to Cook Japanese White Cream Stew

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    My entries related to cooking can be seen here.

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    My entries related to foods my husband cooked can be seen here.

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    My entries related to Japanese noodles can be seen here.

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    My entries related to Japan can be seen here.