Tako no karaage is a karaage of Octopus.
Karaage (唐揚げ,空揚げ, or から揚げ,) is a Japanese cooking technique where various foods are cut into small pieces and fried in oil after being coated with flour, potato starch, or corn starch and marinated.
In this case with soy sauce, mirin, garlic, and ginger.
It seems this cooking method was influenced by similar Chinese preparations.
It is usually used for fried chicken – Tori no karaage – a typical Japanese bento dish.
As a great lover of octopus, I was a bit skeptical, but I was completely won over; the crispiness of the starch coating after marinating is truly exceptional.
Sometimes fried pumpkin is also added to the dish, but it’s optional.
You can also find another “karaage” recipe on the blog:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 2 servings
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs octopus
- as needed soy sauce
- as needed mirin
- as needed garlic
- as needed fresh ginger
- 3 cups potato starch (or corn starch, or flour)
- 3 limes
- as needed Sichuan pepper
- 1.1 lbs pumpkin
Steps
Boil the octopus in boiling water for about 45 minutes, then let it cool in its cooking water, then drain and dry it, separate the head from the tentacles, and cut into pieces about 2 inches.
Cut the pumpkin (if used) into slices or pieces about 3 inches.
Prepare the marinade by mixing soy sauce, mirin, chopped garlic, and grated ginger in a bowl.
Marinate the octopus pieces for about 20 minutes, then dry them with paper towels and coat the octopus pieces in starch using a plastic bag to shake vigorously.
Heat the oil to a temperature of 320/340°F in a deep pan, and fry the pumpkin pieces first, then the octopus until you get a nice golden color.
Serve with a generous sprinkle of lime juice and Sichuan pepper, after crushing it with a mortar.
In the video, the preparation is shown with the Magic Cooker lid, turning off the heat once the oil reaches temperature and continuing cooking – covered with the Magic Cooker – for about 10 minutes.
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There is also a ready-made version of Karaage.
There is also a ready-made version of Karaage.
