Crispy Chicken Mayo Rice Bowl
Bite-size popcorn chicken shallow-fried until crisp, piled on rice with a sweet soy glaze, soft scrambled egg, mayo and toasted seaweed, then mixed and devoured.
Method
Cut the chicken into 2 cm cubes, toss with the soy sauce, garlic and pepper and leave for 5 minutes. Shake the pieces in a bag with the potato starch until evenly coated, then tap off the excess.
Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 240 gSoy sauce (for seasoning) 1 tspMinced garlic 1 tspBlack pepper 1 pinchPotato starch 4 tbsp
In a small 16 cm pan, combine the glaze soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce over low heat for . When it has nearly halved and large glossy bubbles appear, turn off the heat; it thickens more as it cools.
Add in this stepSoy sauce (for the glaze) 2 tbspSugar 1 tbspKorean cooking wine (or mirin) 1 tbspWater (for the glaze) 4 tbsp
medium heat→low heatBeat the eggs with the salt. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium-low heat, pour in the eggs and push them slowly from the edge to the centre with a spatula for . Tip them into a bowl while still soft and about 70% set; the residual heat finishes them.
Add in this stepEggs 2Salt 1 pinchNeutral oil for shallow-frying 6.6 ml
medium-low heatWipe the pan and pour in the rest of the oil, about 5 mm deep. Heat over medium heat for : when a piece of chicken immediately sets off lively bubbles, it is ready (about 170°C). Turn the pan handle to the side rather than towards you, and keep anything wet well away.
Add in this stepNeutral oil for shallow-frying 213 ml
medium heatSpread the chicken in the pan without crowding and fry over medium heat for , turning every 1 to 2 minutes. Fry this amount in 1 batch(es). When every side is golden and crisp and the biggest piece is white inside with clear juices, lift it onto paper towels or a rack.
medium heatFill the bowls with rice, drizzle over a spoonful of glaze and top with the scrambled egg and chicken. Pour the remaining glaze over the chicken, zigzag the mayo across, and finish with scallions and seaweed. Add a little sriracha for heat, then mix everything together and eat.
Add in this stepHot cooked short-grain rice 400 gMayonnaise 2 tbspScallions, finely sliced 2 tbspCrumbled roasted seaweed 2 tbspSriracha (optional) to taste
Cook's tip
Over-reduced glaze sets hard as it cools: stop when it runs off a spoon like syrup. Leftover fried chicken, chopped and reheated in a pan, works brilliantly here. Add the seaweed just before eating so it stays crisp.
Cooking it at camp
One wide camp pan and a single burner are all you need. With so little oil it is safer than deep-frying, but wind steals heat from the flame, so use a windscreen; ready-cooked pouch rice warmed in boiling water saves time. Let the used oil cool, soak it up with paper towels and pack it out.