We’re making an absolutely delicious karaage sauce! This is the perfect sauce for karaage, and once you taste it, you’ll agree! Although Japanese fried chicken is absolutely delicious on its own, this japanese karaage sauce elevates it to the next level! If you’ve been looking for the best karaage dipping sauce, this is it!
Do you usually get karaage sauce in Japan?
Karaage, or Japanese fried chicken, is an extremely delicious crunchy meal! Juicy chicken thighs are marinated in a soy-based marinade and then fried.
My method uses a double-battered, triple-fry technique to get incredibly crunchy, juicy chicken! But is a karaage sauce usually served with Japanese fried chicken?
The short answer is ‘no’. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any condiments that people enjoy with their Japanese fried chicken!
If they don't have karaage sauce, what kind of condiments do they use?
The first thing that might come to mind is ketchup or a barbecue-type sauce. However, neither of these are used at all!
Instead, Japanese fried chicken is typically served with a dollop of delicious Japanese mayonnaise. You may think that mayonnaise doesn’t go with fried chicken, but it goes surprisingly well!
Another classic condiment is a squeeze of lemon. A little sourness and zing brightens up the flavors of the chicken, making it taste lighter than it actually is. You’re more-likely to find lemon served with Japanese karaage than mayonnaise.
The origins of my green onion karaage sauce
So why did I decide to break tradition and create a dipping sauce for an already delicious dish? Actually, I got inspiration for this sauce from a restaurant in the town I used to live in in Japan.
The name of the restaurant was “Pore Pore” and it was an izakaya, or Japanese-style pub. The main draw of the restaurant was the extensive international cuisine on the menu. They had foods from Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, Italy, China, and many more!
One of their killer dishes was their version of Japanese fried chicken. The chicken was was set atop a layer of shredded lettuce, along with a healthy pool of a delicious dipping sauce.
The chicken itself was delicious, but with the sauce? It was INCREDIBLE! My friends and colleagues would all talk about how GOOD the chicken was! It was always a must-order item every time we went.
The sauce was similar to a ponzu sauce. In fact, it may have been a homemade ponzu. But whereas regular ponzu is usually to tart for me, theirs was quite mellow and worked very well with the fried chicken.
After creating my double-coated, triple-fried chicken recipe when I released my “Karaage Don” recipe, I just knew that I needed that delicous sauce to go on top!
Ingredients for my karaage sauce
- Soy Sauce (See it on Amazon) – This is the one I personally use at home.
- Mirin (See it on Amazon) – Trusted brand here in Japan.
- Sesame Oil (See it on Amazon) – Great nutty aroma, and made with 100% pure sesame oil
- Rice Wine Vinegar (See it on Amazon) – This is by one of Japan’s most trusted brands.
- The minced whites of a green onion stalk
The perfect karaage sauce for the perfect karaage!
Whether you’re enjoying this sauce as part of my hearty karaage rice bowl recipe, or serving it on the side with my triple-fried karaage, I know that you’re going to love it! It’s so addictive, you may just drink it up!
Ready for more fried food goodness? Try some of these delicious fried foods!
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Green Onion Sauce
Ingredients
- Soy sauce 4 tsp
- Rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp
- Mirin 2 tbsp
- Sesame oil 1.5 tsp
- Salt .5 tsp
- Minced green onion white 1.5 tbsp
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes for the green onion pungency to mellow.
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