Perfect Fried Chicken, Perfect Weekend

We all look forward to weekends.  It's just how we work.  But, far too often, those two days we look forward to all week are either squandered in a binge of TV or packed so full of errands and events that by the time Sunday comes again we're even more tired than when we started.  This last weekend, though, Sumie, Mimi, and I managed to strike a perfect balance of family, fun, and getting things done. 

Thanks to Mimi, Saturday started off early.  Despite our initial groggy objections, we were glad Mimi set her alarm for 7:30.  We had family coming that evening and a lot to get through before they arrived. 

After pancakes - cooked by Papa - we headed out to get groceries.  We were putting together a pot-luck and Sumie and I were in charge of the Japanese fried chicken, our specialty.  Between our shopping stops we checked in at the Salvation Army store on Geary, a virtual must for me at least once a week.  There we found a beautiful, Japanese-style coffee table.  Low and relatively square (3ft x 4ft), with space underneath for your legs, Sumie couldn't do without it.  She'd humored me and my American-style coffee table long enough.  Luckily, the table was priced right and the store was having a 50% off sale.  I snapped it up and asked them to set it aside for a few hours.  We finished up our shopping with a stop at Safeway, and then I jumped into the BMW wagon to pick up our purchase.  I love that wagon.  It took only a few minutes to get the car ready and, once the seats were down, the table fit without a hitch. 

Table brought up the stairs, it was time to rearrange the living room.  This also lead to swapping out the hope chest from the library side of the living room with the old coffee table, repositioning the old Coney Island pinball, moving the hope chest to the bedroom, shifting the dresser in the bedroom to the other wall, and finishing it all off with a nice cold Coke.  It's amazing how one relatively small table can result in a complete re-assessment of all the household furniture.  We're genuinely happy with the changes, though.  By the time Mimi was napping, we felt the house had become a little bit more our very own. 

Sumie's brother and sister came over with their families around 6:30 or so.  I'd already finished off the first go on a batch of double-fried french fries and was in the midst of our chicken karage (Japanese fried chicken).  Sumie and I have been making these delicious chicken nuggets for years.  We're famous for it and while it always got rave reviews, we never felt we'd really nailed it.  The flavor had always been there, but the texture was never quite right.  I'm happy to say that this weekend we had a chicken breakthrough.  Here's how we did it.  This is my first time sharing this recipe, but I finally feel I can because I think we've finally gotten it right!

Ingredients:

• 2lbs of chicken thighs (Boneless.  Skin on is preferable, but not necessary)
• Cooking Sake
• Garlic
• Ginger (if you wish)
• Soy Sauce
• Salt and Pepper
• Cornstarch

Not that much, huh?  And here's how you put it together.  The measurements aren't exact - we've always done this by sight - so it may take a few batches until you get a feel for it.

1. Cut thigh meat into chunks roughly 1x1x2; place into a glass bowl
2. Wet chicken with cooking sake; fill bowl until sake height reaches about 2/3 of the chicken
3. Medium chop 5-6 cloves of garlic; add to bowl
4. Add a dash of soy sauce (about a table spoon)
5. Add several pinches of salt and pepper
6. Set bowl aside at let sit for an hour or two
7. After chicken has marinated, drain off any excess/standing marinade and add several table spoons of cornstarch.  Mix by hand until chicken is evenly and lightly coated.  Mixture will still be wet.
8. Now, in the past I'd fry right then and there.  But here's the trick that really made it come out.
9. Take a large plate and cover it liberally with cornstarch; mix in some significant pinches of salt and pepper for flavor.
10. Remove the chicken from the bowl piece by piece and lay out on the cornstarch plate with plenty of room between pieces.  Coat each piece with cornstarch and then shake off any excess.  Set pieces aside.  Each piece should look relatively dry, though we spots can still show through.  You don't want too much dried cornstarch on there.  
11. Bring a deep pan of oil up to fry temperature.  I think this is around 325 or 350 degrees, but I'm not really sure.  I've always used cheap wooden chopsticks to test.  Dip the end of the chopsticks in and press against the bottom of the pan.  If you see bubbles coming up from the chopsticks, the temp is just about right.  Put the stove on medium to medium high heat and get ready to fry.
12. Add some of the chicken to the oil.  Don't try to fry it all at once.  The oil temp will drop.  Stir chicken occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick.  Fry time will be about 5-8 minutes.  Pull out the largest piece and cut in half to check if the batch is done.  
13. Remove chicken from oil and set on a rack, paper towel, or lettuce.  
14. Serve hot to friends.  It will not last.  

This is the recipe and process I followed and, for the first time, our chicken had not only the taste, but also the look and texture of our favorite Japanese restaurants.  Hooray!

OK, that was a major digression.  Back to the party.  Shu and his wife brought a wonderful salad while Kae and Eddie brought pasta, cake, and the makings for California Rolls.  These Eddie made from scratch.  They were fantastic.  Here's a full view of the spread. 

The kids were excited to be together again, but the food was so good that they were still able to gather round the table.  At least for a few minutes. 

They were soon joined by their parents. 

Haruki, Kae and Eddie's newest addition, was the star of the night.  A perfect gentleman, he did nothing more than whimper.  He's the opposite of Mimi at that age.

The kids made the most of their playtime together.  We read...

we played pinball...

and there were many spontaneous games of ring around the rosie. 

Everyone stayed up until almost 11:00.  Mimi finally collapsed around midnight, Sumie and I a few minutes after.  So, it's no surprise that we all slept in until 10:00 on Sunday. 

And that sleeping in set the stage for the perfect second half of our weekend.  We balanced our busy Saturday with a quiet Sunday.  A friend of mine came by for a visit - we went out for burgers - and Mimi and Sumie hit the park for an hour or so.  We topped off our strenuous Sunday outings with afternoon naps.

By the time Sumie and I headed for bed that Sunday night, we knew we'd had a wonderful weekend.  The house was clean, we'd spent time with family and friends, and we were ready for the week ahead.  You can't really ask for more.