Ride or Die: Chicken Karaage

I often wondered why Chinese entrepreneurs were gifted ✌🏻unusual✌🏻decorations (I think that golden toads and crystals are not very aesthetically pleasing) or hang paintings of mountains or fishes or horses in their offices. My father had a koi painting and when questioned why, he explained that the koi symbolize prosperity and when you are in it to make money, I guess having things that give you an edge isn’t so bad after all... even if it’s not aesthetically pleasing. I didn't know what to make of it but I did research the subject on feng shui to satisfy my curiosity though I cannot say that I am an ardent believer.

Still, it is a subject that truly fascinates me.

It wasn't until I started work that I noticed my Chinese colleagues referred extensively to the mountain or "kau san" in Cantonese. From my little understanding, it is a symbolism of whom you gain support from. It is knowing who has your back and using that energy to propel you forward.

This philosophy on energy may give rise to skepticism but once I started looking hard, I find that it does have a lot of merit as you watch the war unfold within a structure. The quest to dominate, intimidate, manipulate and intoxicate is all around. And if ☝🏻the emperor is at the thick of the game, rest assured, everyone is his dominion is a part of the play.

If you don't feel like there is even a war it doesn't mean there isn't one, it just means you have not been sacrificed yet.

And the most dangerous one of all is the one you never see coming, but you question, why do I keep giving this person everything - my time, my energy, my talent, my life?

However, there is a select group or pockets of individuals that will have our backs and this support continues over our lifetime. Whether or not they are really "kau san" in every sense of the word I can't say, because I am not an expert in the subject but, I identify them as Ride or Die. People who are consistent and who unquestionably support us in our journey.

Prepping my Chicken Karaage made me think about this subject a lot because firstly, I had obsessively made this dish THREE times in the span of a week to perfect the recipe. But each minor adjustment does not rudely change the base flavours of this dish and I guess this is really a Ride or Die recipe for anyone who may be new to the kitchen or just simply has no time for laborious preparation.

Firstly, marinate your chicken thighs in some soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine, salt, garlic powder and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for over 4 hours or best, overnight.

In my opinion, Korean’s Beksul tempura batter tastes the best.

To cook, add Beksul tempura batter into a bowl, mix in a little salt and pepper
Coat chicken pieces in egg white (I suggest you do a few at a time)
After they are coated, pan fry them for about 2-3 min

There should be a bit of bounce when you squeeze the chicken, this means it is cooked and best of all, juicy😋. Poke through with a chopstick to test doneness.

(This was another attempt with a different flour brand, I'd still recommend Beksul)

Recipe serves 2-4

200gm chicken thighs

1 1/2 cup of Beksul flour (season with a tsp of salt and a few shakes of pepper)

Chicken Marinade:

4 tbsp rice wine (use 5 if you love the taste of strong rice wine..I used 5)

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp

A pinch of sugar

If you ever wonder why Nigella Lawson tiptoes to her fridge in the middle of the night, and I am so glad that she admits it, it is because some dishes are best eaten cold.

I LOVE cold fried chicken, it is the best!