Chicken Oharame (Fried Chicken with Nori) Recipe

• 200 grams / 7 oz of boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons of Shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons of Sake
• 1 to 2 sheets of Nori (dried Laver seaweed)
• 1 egg white
• vegetable oil for frying

On a clean board cut the chicken into thin, even sized 5cm (2 inch) long strips or fingers. Discard the skin and remove any extra fat. Place the strips into a small bowl along with the Shoyu and Sake. Stir to combine and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the chicken strips for at least one hour to marinate.

With a pair of kitchen scissors cut the Nori sheet into 1 cm (half inch) wide strips. In another small bowl lightly beat the egg white.

Wash your hands and line up 4 to 5 strips of chicken in one hand to form a neat bundle. With your other hand take one strip of nori and lightly dip it into the egg white. Now wrap it very firmly and neatly around the centre of the chicken strip bundle. Continue making more bundles until all the chicken and Nori has been used up.

Heat the vegetable oil in a Wok or deep frypan. Test the temperature by frying a small cube of bread, when it sizzles to golden brown in 30 seconds the temperature is correct. Deep fry the bundles in batches until they are just cooked through and golden brown - but still tender (four minutes). Gently lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 bundles.