Disclosure: This recipe is proudly sponsored by NTUC Fairprice.
STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Who doesn’t love fried chicken? Learn how to satisfy your guilty pleasure craving at home with the double-fry method! The pairing of the crispy exterior with juicy thigh meat results in the perfect chicken karaage.
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Despite being a hot menu item amongst Singaporeans, many do not know that Karaage is actually a method of cooking. It is essentially the light coating of meat with flour or starch, and deep frying them to give them a crispy exterior!
To celebrate Singapore’s birthday this year, we have partnered with FairPrice to reimagine dishes well-loved by Singaporeans in the form of food art inspired by national icons.
Today, we will decorate a Chicken Karaage Bento set as the nostalgic kindness movement mascot, Singa the Lion, guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. In addition to the chicken, there will be fluffy sushi rice alongside it to make it a complete bento set!
Don’t forget to check out our other posts where we created the Dragon Playground with Bubur Cha Cha, the Singapore Flyer with Satay and the Changi Airport skyline with Teriyaki Chicken!
Before we begin, make a trip down to your favourite FairPrice outlet to pick up the ingredients. Then download and print out our free Singa the Lion template to follow along the decorating process!
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
Sushi Rice
- 580g Japanese short grain rice
- 580ml water
- ⅛ tsp red food colouring
- ¼ tsp yellow food colouring
- 60ml Japanese rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
Chicken Karaage
- 500g boneless chicken thigh, cubed
- 1 tbsp garlic (around 3 cloves), chopped
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sake (optional)
- A dash of pepper
- 1 egg
- 5 tbsp potato starch
- 200ml oil
Garnishing
- 10 crab sticks
- 1 small floret of broccoli, cut into flowerets
- ½ sheet of Japanese toasted seaweed
- 6 leaves of lettuce
- 4 cherry tomatoes
- 2 slices of chicken ham
- ½ slice of soft cheese
- 1 slice of lemon
Chicken Karaage Ingredients
TRICK OF THE TRADE
- Double-frying the chicken karaage is an extra but crucial step! The first fry cooks the meat but the second fry makes the chicken become extra crispy.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN KARAAGE
PREPARE THE RICE
- Wash and cook the rice in the following proportions: White rice – 435g of rice, 435ml of water; Bright orange rice – 145g of rice, 145ml of water, red and yellow food colouring.
Mix the food colouring with water before adding to the rice.
Stir in the coloured water.
- Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Allow to cool.
Combine and heat the ingredients for the vinegar solution.
- Once the rice is cooked, add in the cooled vinegar solution while stirring the rice with chopsticks.
Stir the rice with chopsticks to not break the grains.
PREPARE THE CHICKEN KARAAGE
- Marinate the chicken with the garlic, light soy sauce, salt, sake, pepper and egg, mixing well. Cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours, best overnight.
Combine the marinade ingredients with the chicken and mix well.
Cling film to prevent cross-contamination and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Place the potato starch in a bowl and dip the chicken pieces in the bowl, coating the chicken pieces with potato starch. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, deep fry a few pieces of chicken at a time until light golden.
Coat the chicken pieces with potato starch.
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- Fry the chicken.
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- Flip the chicken midway.
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- When it turns light golden, it is cooked.
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- Take out and let cool on a wire rack.
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- Once all the chicken pieces are cooked. Heat up the oil over high heat and add the chicken pieces back into the wok in batches for a second deep fry (around 1 minute) until the chicken turns a nice golden colour.
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- Fry the chicken for the 2nd time over high heat.
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- One minute later, it will be a nice golden colour.
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DECORATING
- Steam the crab stick and broccoli until soft.
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- Shape the Japanese rice using the Singa the Lion template to form Singa’s face, hands and t-shirt, as well as the heart. Scoop some rice on a piece of cling film, wrap the rice with cling film and compress it lightly to form a ball. Shape the rice ball based on the template.
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- Line the cling film on top of the Singa the Lion template.
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- Use the cling film and your hands to shape the rice balls according to the template.
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- Unroll the red section of the crab sticks and wrap them around the heart shaped rice ball.
Cut the crab sticks to fit the heart-shaped rice ball.
- Cut the Japanese seaweed by layering the provided template and cutting accordingly to achieve the details of the Singa’s face and the SG wordings.
Layer the seaweed and the template and cut along the lines.
Arrange the seaweed details to look like Singa the Lion.
- Arrange the ingredients to form the bento.
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- Cut the cherry tomato into half and lightly slice down to make it open up.
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- Fold a half slice of ham in half and partial slice down the side.
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- Use a toothpick to secure the ham in place.
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- Make incisions in the cheese to mimic flower petals.
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COOKING TIPS
Preparing the rice
- Wash the rice 3-4 times to give it a better texture.
- It is best to use chopsticks to avoid breaking up the rice grains while stirring!
- Stir the rice in front of a fan to facilitate rapid cooling. This will help give the rice a glossy finish.
Preparing the chicken karaage
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature after marinating to ensure even cooking.
- It is important not to overcrowd the wok, otherwise, the chicken will not cook evenly.
DECORATING TIPS
- Shaping the rice with cling film will hold it together and prevent it from sticking.
- Use a plastic spatula for cleaner edges while shaping the rice.
- Leave the rice wrapped in cling film whilst preparing other ingredients to prevent it from drying out.
- Wrap the heart shaped crab stick rice ball in cling film to help the crab stick layer stay in place!
- Use a pair of tweezers to be more precise when decorating.
- Toothpicks are a useful tool to secure the decorative ham in place.
- Use a straw to make circle cut-outs of the cheese.
- The remaining ingredients can be used as fillers to prop up the rice.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Gluten-Free: No modifications needed.
- Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
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Chicken Karaage
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 580 g Japanese Short Grain Rice
- 580 ml Water
- ⅛ tsp Red Food Colouring
- ¼ tsp Yellow Food Colouring
- 60 ml Japanese Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
Chicken Karaage
- 500g Boneless Chicken Thigh cubed
- 1 tbsp Chopped Garlic around 3 cloves
- 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sake optional
- A dash Pepper
- 1 egg
- 5 tbsp Potato Starch
- 200 ml Oil
Garnishing
- 10 Crab Sticks
- 1 small floret Broccoli cut into flowerets
- ½ sheet Japanese Toasted Seaweed
- 6 leaves lettuce
- 4 Cherry Tomatoes cut decoratively
- 2 slices Chicken Ham cut decoratively
- ½ slice Soft Cheese cut decoratively
- 1 slice Lemon cut decoratively
Instructions
Prepare the Rice
- Wash and cook the rice in the following proportions: White rice - 435g of rice, 435ml of water; Bright orange rice - 145g of rice, 145ml of water, red and yellow food colouring.
- Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Allow to cool.
- Once the rice is cooked, add in the cooled vinegar solution while stirring the rice with chopsticks.
Prepare the Chicken Karaage
- Marinate the chicken with the garlic, light soy sauce, salt, sake, pepper and egg, mixing well. Cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours, best overnight.
- Place the potato starch in a bowl and dip the chicken pieces in the bowl, coating the chicken pieces with potato starch. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, deep fry a few pieces of chicken at a time until light golden.
- Once all the chicken pieces are cooked. Heat up the oil over high heat and add the chicken pieces back into the wok in batches for a second deep fry (around 1 minute) until the chicken turns a nice golden colour.
Decorating
- Steam the crab stick and broccoli until soft.
- Shape the Japanese rice using the provided template to form Singa’s face, hands and t-shirt, as well as the heart. Scoop some rice on a piece of cling film, wrap the rice with cling film and compress it lightly to form a ball. Shape the rice ball based on the template.
- Unroll the red section of the crab sticks and wrap them around the heart shaped rice ball.
- Cut the Japanese seaweed by layering the provided template and cutting accordingly to achieve the details of the Singa’s face and the SG wordings.
- Arrange the ingredients to form the bento.
Notes
COOKING TIPS
Preparing the rice
- Wash the rice 3-4 times to give it a better texture.
- It is best to use chopsticks to avoid breaking up the rice grains while stirring!
- Stir the rice in front of a fan to facilitate rapid cooling. This will help give the rice a glossy finish.
Preparing the chicken karaage
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature after marinating to ensure even cooking.
- It is important not to overcrowd the wok, otherwise, the chicken will not cook evenly.
DECORATING TIPS
- Shaping the rice with cling film will hold it together and prevent it from sticking.
- Use a plastic spatula for cleaner edges while shaping the rice.
- Leave the rice wrapped in cling film whilst preparing other ingredients to prevent it from drying out.
- Wrap the heart shaped crab stick rice ball in cling film to help the crab stick layer stay in place!
- Use a pair of tweezers to be more precise when decorating.
- Toothpicks are a useful tool to secure the decorative ham in place.
- Use a straw to make circle cut-outs of the cheese.
- The remaining ingredients can be used as fillers to prop up the rice.
