This recipe was presented by Chef Tatsuo Saito from NHK World Dining with the Chef. Some modifications have been made.
- Pound 1 LB of chicken thighs gently with the blade of your knife to tenderize.
- Cut chicken thighs in pieces, on a bias to expose more surface area.
- Spread on a tray and sprinkle with salt.
- Let rest 5 minutes, then pat dry with a paper towel.
- Marinate in 2 TBL sake, 3 TBL mirin and 2 TBL soy for 15 minutes.
I like to use a zip lock bag, so that I can easily agitate every 5 minutes. - Pour the liquid into a cup. We will use it later, so don’t discard.
- Toss the chicken pieces in potato starch or corn starch.
- Heat 2 TBL vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet.
- Cook on medium heat, but only to about 80% of completion.
- Tip the skillet and push the chicken to the high side.
- Add the marinate into the low side and heat until it boils and reduces slightly.
- Push the sauce and the chicken together.
- Plate with spinach and top with Sansho Pepper Powder.
Sansho Pepper ( 山椒 ) is a Japanese seasoning powder made from the ground berries of the prickly ash tree. The powder has a peppery-lemon flavor with a long residual heat. Sansho powder is used to season sushi and make various Japanese noodle dishes mildly hot and fragrant.
