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1
Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl with soy sauce, ginger, and (optional) whiskey. Mix to coat chicken. Marinate, refrigerated, for 30 minutes.
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2
Place corn starch in wide, shallow dish. Take each piece of chicken from the marinade and roll in the corn starch until completely coated. Tap chicken to remove excess corn starch, and set aside in a clean bowl.
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3
Fill a deep cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven, or deep-fat fryer with enough vegetable oil to come at least 1 1/2 inches up the sides. Over medium-high heat, bring the oil to 350u00b0F (hot but not smoking).
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4
Working in batches of 10-12 pieces, gently slip chicken pieces into the oil. Fry until the chicken is a rich golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken from oil with a slotted spoon, and place on paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.
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5
(recipes follow).
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6
is Japanese for vinegar, and
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7
refers to a vinegar-dressed appetizer or side dish.
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8
I like to use a vegetable peeler to remove thin strips from the cucumber peel before slicing. You can skip this step, but I think the dish looks prettier this way.
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9
Cut the cucumber in half lengthways. Scrape out seeds with a spoon and discard. Slice finely.
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10
Place cucumber slices in a sieve set over a larger bowl. Sprinkle cucumber with the salt, toss to coat, and leave to drain for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain well.
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11
Place vinegar, white sugar, and sesame oil in a medium bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add cucumber slices and mix well. Sprinkle, if desired, with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
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12
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Boil green beans until tender crisp, 4-5 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge beans into a bowl of ice water.
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13
While beans are cooling, stir mustard and vinegar in a medium bowl to form a paste. Gradually whisk in vegetable oil until mixture is emulsified.
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14
Drain the beans well and place in bowl with the dressing. Toss to coat and serve immediately.
