Ingredients
8 chicken thighs, boneless, skin removed
4 Brioche buns or 8 Bao buns
½ Iceberg lettuce
For the Pickled Slaw
1 carrot, finely sliced or julienne cut
½ cucumber, julienne cut
2 spring onions
8 radishes, sliced
5 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
For the first coating
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
For the batter
125g plain flour
25g cornflour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
120ml vodka
For the sweet soy sauce
100ml light soy sauce
25ml mirin
25ml rice wine vinegar
Thumb size piece fresh root ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
55g dark muscovado sugar
4-6 drops of sesame oil
For the chilli sauce
2 tbsp Gochugang chilli paste
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp Agave syrup or honey
Method
- Preheat the fryer to 160C
- For the pickled slaw, heat the vinegar salt and sugar until dissolved and pour over the slaw vegetables, stir and set aside.
- Place the soy, mirin, rice wine vinegar, grated ginger, crushed garlic and sugar into a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add a little salt if necessary. Add sesame oil to taste
- For the chilli sauce, combine all ingredients together, check the seasoning and set aside.
- Whisk the first coating ingredients all together. Dust the chicken in the flour coating, shake off the excess and set aside while you make the batter.
- For the batter, whisk together the dry ingredients, then whisk in 80ml cold water and the vodka. It should be like single cream
- Dip the floured chicken pieces in the batter one at a time. Fry two at a time for 8–10 minutes, then drain and put on kitchen paper. Repeat until all the thighs are cooked.
- Turn the heat up to 190C. Fry the chicken for another 2 minutes until dark and golden. Transfer to kitchen paper
- Toast the burger buns. Split and fill with Iceberg lettuce, top with chicken, sweet soy sauce and pickles, add chilli sauce to taste.