Karaage Chicken and Jalapeño wraps
Posted: April 11, 2009 Filed under: meat, snacks 2 Comments »
I went to a talk by Neil Boorman at the inspirational Affluenza exhibition. It was a great talk and I came away feeling super-sensitive to all the adverts I numbly absorb every day. Whereas Boorman’s Achilles heel was fashion, I am a massive sucker for food adverts. In particular, and at certain key moments of vulnerability I find myself unable to avoid those air brushed money shots of KFC, McDonalds and Burger King fodder. Don’t get me wrong, I only have a quarter pounder with cheese once a year if that, but I do find myself thinking about those action shots of slow motion bouncing juicy burgers and processed cheese (it has to be processed cheese) melting to golden perfection far far more than I should…
Anyway, I digress. So I was having one of these moments of weakness when I realised I had a bag of Karaage chicken stashed away in the back of my freezer. Karaage chicken is basically soy, ginger and garlic flavoured deep fried chicken. Not exactly diet food, but nowhere near as depressing as a “boneless banquet”. You can buy it from Japanese supermarkets or online from the Japan Centre and it’s nice to have a couple of pieces with some rice and salad in a bento box or with a very cold beer. I also had a jar of garlic mayonnaise. And some wraps. And some jalapeños….
(the following is not so much a recipe as it is an insight into the mind of a weak and confused glutton)
Ingredients
1 bag tortilla wraps
1/2 bag Karaage Chicken
vegetable oil for frying
garlic mayonnaise
HP Woodsmoke BBQ sauce
Jalapeño peppers in brine
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Smoked cheese/Processed cheese slices
- Heat the oil and deep fry the chicken pieces. Drain on plenty of kitchen paper.
- Combine the mayonnaise and bbq sauce and spread over the tortillas
- Add lots of lettuce, chopped tomatoes and the peppers.
- Add the warm chicken pieces and immediately add the cheese so it melts.
- Wrap, scoff and make v signs at your television

Amazing. I have the same annual pang for a Big Mac. But they do taste fucking awful when you finally give in, no?
Yes – I always feel appalling afterwards, it must be that “special sauce” combo of crack and lard or whatever it is they make them with