Chicken Karaage

Cut the chicken into rough 3cm chunks — irregular shapes are good for the crust.

Marinate in soy, sake, ginger, garlic for 30 minutes. Longer is fine; longer than overnight starts to over-tenderise.

Heat oil to 160°C. Drain the chicken, dredge in potato starch (NOT cornflour, not plain flour — potato starch gives the characteristic shaggy, snowy crust). Don't shake off too much; the loose starch is part of the texture.

Fry in small batches at 160°C for 3 minutes. Lift out, rest 90 seconds on a rack. Crank oil to 190°C and fry the same batch for another 90 seconds until deeply golden and audibly crisp. Double-fry is non-negotiable — it's the only way to get the interior cooked without darkening the crust past the point of good flavour.

Serve with lemon wedges. Mayonnaise (Japanese, with rice vinegar and MSG) is the chef's mate.