[japanese cuisine] tang yang fried chicken was originally vegetarian? read this article to learn about the origins and how to eat japanese national cuisine!
tempura, fried chicken nuggets, and cokes. there are countless types of fried foods in japan, and they are all irresistible. in addition to the typical tempura, japanese fried chicken “tang yang” is also a common fried product. even in ramen shops, people can see people ordering fried chicken to match it. but, do you know why fried chicken is called “tang yang”? and the previous “tang yang” was actually vegetarian? spend a few minutes learning the mysteries of the tang yang, japan’s national cuisine.
tang yang originated in modern times? a mixed opinion of japanese national cuisine
THE NAME “TANG YANG” IS OFTEN THOUGHT TO HAVE ORIGINATED IN THE NARA PERIOD. TANG EMISSARIES SENT TO CHINA TO STUDY BROUGHT BACK THE COOKING METHOD OF “FLOUR FRYING” AND NAMED IT “YANG げ (AGE)”. WHEN THIS METHOD BECAME POPULAR AMONG ORDINARY CITIZENS, IT WAS CALLED “KARAAGE” BECAUSE IT CAME FROM THE TANG DYNASTY IN CHINA.
HOWEVER, THIS CLAIM HAS BEEN GRADUALLY OVERTURNED IN RECENT YEARS. FROM THE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, WE CAN KNOW THAT THE METHOD OF FRYING DID COME FROM THE NARA PERIOD. YES, BUT IN ALL THE LITERATURE, THERE IS NO RECORD OF “からあげ (KARAAGE)”. IT WASN’T UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF THE EDO PERIOD IN 1772 THAT THE NAME “TANG YANG” FIRST APPEARED IN JAPANESE RECIPES INTRODUCING CHINESE VEGETARIAN FOOD.
interestingly, the “tang yang” in the book is not the fried chicken nuggets as we know it, but a vegetarian dish, which is made by cutting tofu into small pieces, frying it first, and then cooking it with soy sauce and wine.
SO WHEN DID TANG YANG APPEAR NOW? SOME SCHOLARS HOLD DIFFERENT OPINIONS, BELIEVING THAT THE COOKING METHOD OF FIRST CURING MEAT AND THEN STIR-FRYING MEAT IS A COMBINATION OF CHINESE, WESTERN AND JAPANESE COOKING METHODS, NOT FROM THE TANG DYNASTY. SOME SCHOLARS BELIEVE THAT TANG YANG EVOLVED FROM THE HARMONIC SOUND “KARAAGE”. LATER, BECAUSE EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS A DISH OF THE CHINESE TANG DYNASTY, THE WORD TANG YANG IS NOW OFTEN USED TO EXPRESS IT.
at present, the strongest argument is that the fried chicken nuggets, known to the public as “tang yang”, originated from a new dish called “ruo ji tang yang” developed by mikasa kaikan in 1932 in reference to the chinese fried chicken cooking method. as the dish became widely loved by the public, the practice and appellation gradually spread. to prevent the public from confusing it with chinese cuisine, newspapers at the time also used hiragana or “khun yang” to refer to the dish. so far, most dishes fried in fine powder have been given the hiragana name “から杨げ”.
this is not the real “tang yang”! the identification method of long tian yang and tang yang
WHEN I COME TO JAPAN TO PLAY, I OCCASIONALLY SEE A DISH ON THE MENU THAT IS VERY SIMILAR TO TANG YANG, BUT THE NAME OF THIS DISH IS “TATUTAAGE”. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IT AND TANG YANG?
by definition, longtian yang is a type of tang yang, but there are restrictions on its fried powder and spices. tang yang can use flour or taibai powder to make fried powder, in contrast, longtian yang only has too white powder. in addition, the seasoning is also mild. most of them use only ginger, soy sauce and wine, or use mirin as a pickle to taste, the seasoning is more japanese. compared to tang yang, it has more ginger flavor.
however, since longtian yang is basically the same as tang yang except for material restrictions, it is sometimes called tang yang according to different places. in addition, the taste of longtian yang is heavier because ginger is added as a pickle sauce. most seafood is seasoned with the dragon tian yang method when frying. for example, japanese supermarkets often have fried dishes such as tuna ryuta yō, mackerel ryūda yoshi.
eating tang yang is very exquisite, and japanese people like to eat it with dipping sauce like this
when eating tang yang, dipping sauce is particularly exquisite for the japanese, and in the japanese drama “quartet”, there is a scene in which the four main characters argue whether tang yang should pour lemon juice. so next, let me introduce you to the most common dipping sauce and eating methods of japanese people when eating tang yang.
1. lemon
if you order a fried food item at a japanese restaurant, you usually put a small piece of lemon on a plate so that guests can squeeze the juice and pour it on top of the fried food to eat together. the reasons why lemon juice should be drizzled together are unclear, but people who like to add lemon juice to fried foods generally feel healthier because it tastes refreshing.
2. nothing
since tang yang is a pickled fried food, no dip tastes good, so some japanese people don’t like dipping sauce. another argument is that if you don’t touch anything, you can eat tang yang’s fresh and sweet gravy, and you can also eat the difference between the tastes of different flavors of tang yang’s marinade.
3. menez
this combination feels super sinful, but seems to be particularly popular with children. adding some sweet and sour minazi not only makes tang yang taste better, but also neutralizes the oil flavor of fried foods. as for calories. don’t be too picky when eating food!
4. pepper salt
chinese people like to add pepper salt when eating fried foods, and this way of eating has some supporters in japan. the aroma of pepper can make tang yang smell more fragrant, and the slightly irritating taste is even more irresistible.
5. tata sauce
made from basil leaves, sour cucumbers, mayonnaise, lemon juice and yellow mustard sauce, tata sauce can be said to be the epitome of the above sauce! both sour cucumber and yellow mustard can make tang yang less greasy. the aroma of basil leaves and the alcohol of menaz highlight tang yang’s freshness. this is one of the most common sauces in japanese poop.
super time saving simple tang yang recipes
delicious tangyang dishes are actually not difficult to make! grasp the main point and make a delicious tang yang in 15 minutes.
ingredients (in duplicate):
1 piece of chicken thigh (approx. 250 g)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (preferably light soy sauce)
2 tablespoons rice wine or cooking wine
0.5 tablespoons sesame
garlic puree and ginger puree to taste
• powder suitable for white powder
◎ frying oil: sesame oil and salad
oil 1, cut the chicken into 2 cm pieces, put in a bowl and add ※ knead well (about 1 to 2 minutes)
2: heat with oil in a saucepan. add the chicken piece by piece with too white powder, then put it in a saucepan and fry
it over medium heat for 3 minutes, then turn to a golden brown, turn it over and continue to fry for about four minutes.
4, before starting the pot to turn on the high heat, about 30 seconds after you can start the pot draining oil plate.
the above is a brief introduction to japanese tang yang cuisine, after reading the article, do you know more about tang yang cuisine? it is not a kind of tang yang cuisine, the best one must be when it is just fried! while it is hot to enjoy, another refreshing drink is simply the ideal tang yang eating method.