Well, truthfully, it's not really that easy. For me it is... I've made this dinner many times over in the last couple of decades, but it's not that hard, either.
Japanese food is an art form, really, rather than only a means of nutrition or provision of fuel for the body. The Japanese culture focuses on beauty, simplicity, form, and presentation. I won't go into my vast knowledge of Asian culture gleaned from the one semester of Asian history in 10th grade at Punahou (ha, ha!), or from my extensive travels to Asia (the two times I went to China, it was still VERY communist and I remember the noodles at a Japanese restaurant better than the Temple in Kyoto). But I do know that over the years of eating Japanese food, I've learned that it's become a wonderful comfort food to me: the noodles, the sushi, the simple root vegetables... YUM!
So tonight I decided to make An Easy Japanese Dinner: Chicken Tonkatsu and Inari Sushi.
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
Flour
Eggs
Panko Flakes
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable Oil
Tonkatsu Sauce purchased in a bottle
Pre-packaged Aburage shells or canned
Rice, flavored with Japanese Vinegar (Mirin) and Sugar and Salt, or just plain
TONKATSU
Step 1. Slice the chicken breasts as thinly as possible, or pound flat to desired thickness, the thinner the better.
Step 2. Dip the chicken breast into flour, salt, and pepper mixture until covered.
Step 3. Dip the chicken breast into an egg wash until coated.
Step 4. Coat the chicken with panko flakes.... cover really well.
INARI SUSHI
Step 1. Cook white rice in a rice cooker.
Step 2. Stuff aburage with rice or, if you would like to season the rice, use Japanese vinegar, sugar, and salt.
My family really likes this dinner, but who wouldn't? I know, it's not the best to eat anything fried, but it is so delicious. Please try it for yourself. I think you'll like it!
2 comments:
i never seem to be able to make the perfect tonkatsu..the inside always turns out raw...it makes me sad~ but urs look perfecT! and loving the inari sushi :)
The key to the crispy cooked tonkatsu is making sure the chicken is very thin... about 1/4 inch thick! And the oil needs to be hot, about 375. Try it again and tell me how it goes!
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