‘Kara-age’ (kah-rah-ah-ge) is a Japanese cooking technique to cook meat and fish. The most popular one is ‘Kara-age’ Chicken. Today I cooked a head of Broccoli in the same way. It is not the healthiest method to cook Broccoli, but it is yummy. It would be great for drinking, particularly with chilled Beer.

Makes

2 to 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 head Broccoli *cut into bite-size florets
1 clove Garlic *grated
1 small piece Ginger *grated
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin OR Sake (Rice Wine)
1 pinch Salt
1 Egg *whisked
2 tablespoons Plain Flour
2 tablespoons Potato Starch OR Corn Starch
Oil for frying
Ground Chilli OR Shichimi (Japanese Chilli Spice Mix)

Method
  1. Combine Garlic, Ginger, Soy Sauce, Sake (OR Mirin) and Salt in a mixing bowl. Add Broccoli florets, and mix to combine.
  2. Add Egg and Flours, and mix well to coat each Broccoli piece with the batter.
  3. Fry Broccoli pieces in relatively hot oil in batches. When nicely browned, transfer to a wire rack to remove excess oil. *Note: DO NOT cook for too long. Broccoli should retain crunchiness.
  4. Sprinkle with some Ground Chilli OR Shichimi (Japanese Chilli Spice Mix), and some extra Salt if required, and enjoy.