Vegan Karaage
Crispy Japanese fried chicken made from twice-frozen tofu and soy chunks
Contents
Ingredients
- 450g traditional or medium firm tofu
- 30g (½ cup) soy chunks
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅓ teaspoon MSG
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
- 2 tablespoons sake, to taste
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 6–8 tablespoons potato starch
- Oil, for frying
- Vegan Japanese mayonnaise and lemon, for serving
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the tofu (day 1)
Drain the tofu and dry it with a kitchen cloth. Gently press to remove any excess water. Cover and store in the freezer.
Step 2: Thaw and refreeze (day 2)
Move the tofu from the freezer to the fridge and let it thaw completely. Press the tofu, removing as much liquid as you can without breaking it apart. Place it in a container and freeze again.
Step 3: Final thaw (day 3)
Remove the tofu from the freezer. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes. Flip and microwave for another 1–2 minutes, until thawed. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid.
Step 4: Marinate
Mix the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake, sugar, nutmeg, and MSG together — this is the marinade. Tear off chunks of tofu and place them in the marinade. Add the soy chunks and toss everything through. Let it marinate for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Coat
Add the potato starch to the container and shake it up. Let it sit for a few minutes — the potato starch will firm up while sticking the soy chunks to the pieces of tofu. Just before frying, add another thin coat of potato starch.
Step 6: Fry
Over medium heat, fry the karaage in small batches until crispy and golden brown, 2–3 minutes per batch. Place on a wire rack to let excess oil drip off.
Step 7: Serve
Serve with vegan Japanese mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Tips
The double freeze-thaw gives the tofu a chewy, chicken-like texture — don’t skip it. Most of the prep time is hands-off freezing.