Also known as dry-frying, karaage is a Japanese cooking technique in which various foods are first lightly coated in arrowroot starch, then deep-fried. The use of arrowroot starch preserves the natural water content of fried foods and produces a crispy outer surface, but alternatively, other coating ingredients such as wheat flour, tapioca, or potato starch can also be used.

Karaage can be used for frying various meats and fish, but it is most often associated with chicken, and involves a special variant called tatsutaage, where pieces of chicken are first marinated in a mixture of sake, soy sauce, and sugar which are then lightly covered with arrowroot starch and deep-fried.

This method makes the meat succulent on the inside and particularly crispy on the outside. If not specified otherwise, karaage usually refers to fried chicken, but apart from chicken, the technique is sometimes used with other ingredients such as askarei (flounder), ika (bits of squid), and gobo (burdock root).
Japanese karaage dishes are usually seasoned with garlic and ginger, and served with soy sauce on the side. They are a staple of informal Japanese gastropubs called izakayas, casual places for after-work drinks and snacks, but they are also available freshly fried as take-out food in numerous supermarkets and convenience stores.

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