Sweet and Sour Chicken (Ootoya Tori Kurozu-An)

Name: Sweet and Sour Chicken (Ootoya Tori Kurozu-An)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2 serving
Ingredients: 2 chicken thighs; 3 potatoes; 3 inches lotus root (renkon); ½ carrot; 1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant; ½ onion; ½ green pepper; ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch; 3 cups neutral oil; 1 tsp ginger; 1 clove garlic; 2 Tbsp soy sauce; 1 Tbsp sake; 4 Tbsp sugar; 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 Tbsp soy sauce; 1 Tbsp Japanese black vinegar (kurozu); 1 Tbsp mirin; 1 Tbsp water; 1 Tbsp sake; 2 tsp potato starch or cornstarch

User Reviews

4.6

99 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings
2
Calories
1079 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Japanese

Sweet and Sour Chicken (Ootoya Tori Kurozu-An)

Caleb Murray

Report

This Chinese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken uses black rice vinegar to create a deep, malty, and savory sauce. Try my copycat recipe of the popular dish Tori Kurozu-an from the famous Japanese diner Ootoya 大戸屋.

Share:

I Made This!

74 people made this

Print

19 people printed this

Save this

59 people saved this

Ingredients

Servings

2 chicken thighs (11 oz, 312 g)
3 potatoes
3 inches lotus root (renkon)
½ carrot
1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant
½ onion
½ green pepper
½ cup potato starch or cornstarch
3 cups neutral oil (for deep-frying)

For the Marinade

1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice)
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sake

For the Black Vinegar Sauce

4 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Japanese black vinegar (kurozu) (If you use Chinese black vinegar, use ½ Tbsp as it has a stronger flavor)
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp sake
2 tsp potato starch or cornstarch

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Gather all the ingredients.
Make the marinade. Grate the ginger and collect 1 tsp ginger (with juice). Grate 1 clove garlic. Combine the ginger, garlic, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sake in a large bowl.
Trim off and discard any excess fat from 2 chicken thighs, then cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and add them to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Combine all the ingredients for the Black Vinegar Sauce: 4 Tbsp sugar, 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp Japanese black vinegar (kurozu), 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp sake, and 2 tsp potato starch or cornstarch. Mix it well together.
Peel and cut 3 potatoes in half. Peel and cut ½ carrot into small pieces. For the carrot, I use the rangiri cutting technique to create more surface space so that they will cook faster and look pretty.
Potatoes and carrots take too long to cook by deep-frying alone; therefore, we boil them first for 10 minutes until they are tender. Drain and set aside.
Peel and cut 3 inches lotus root (renkon) into ⅛-inch (3-mm) slices. Peel 1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant in a striped pattern and cut it into ½-inch (1.3-cm) slices.
Cut ½ onion into wedges and cut the wedges in half crosswise. Cut ½ green pepper into wedges, then cut the wedges in half crosswise.

To Cook

In a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, add 3 cups neutral oil. Make sure you have at least 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in the pot. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need more or less oil. If you are new to deep-frying, read my post on How to Deep-Fry Food for helpful tips. Preheat the oil to 340ºF (170ºC). Using a paper towel, pat dry the vegetables. Then, add them to the oil and deep-fry until they‘re tender. Be careful not to overcook or undercook. When they’re done, drain them on a wire rack or paper towel.
Next, coat the chicken pieces in ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch and deep-fry at 340ºF (170ºC) for 5 minutes or until golden brown. If the chicken is browning too quickly, lower the heat to make sure the chicken gets cooked through. Then, place the chicken pieces on a wire rack or paper towel and drain well.

To Add the Sauce and Serve

When you‘re done deep-frying the chicken, reheat the wok and toss the deep-fried vegetables and chicken together. When they are re-heated evenly, pour the Black Vinegar Sauce over the chicken and vegetables and toss to combine. Transfer the Sweet and Sour Chicken to a plate and serve.

To Store

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

This recipe is slightly adapted from Ootoya Tori Kurozu-An recipe.
Are you new to deep-frying? Read my post about How to Deep-Fry Food.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 1079kcal (54%) Carbohydrates 110g (37%) Protein 38g (76%) Fat 54g (83%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 21g Monounsaturated Fat 17g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 153mg (51%) Sodium 1136mg (47%) Potassium 2441mg (70%) Fiber 14g (56%) Sugar 23g (46%) Vitamin A 2812IU (56%) Vitamin C 99mg (110%) Calcium 104mg (10%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1079 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	1079kcal	54%
Carbohydrates	110g	37%
Protein	38g	76%
Fat	54g	83%
Saturated Fat	11g	55%
Polyunsaturated Fat	21g	124%
Monounsaturated Fat	17g	85%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	153mg	51%
Sodium	1136mg	47%
Potassium	2441mg	52%
Fiber	14g	56%
Sugar	23g	46%
Vitamin A	2812IU	56%
Vitamin C	99mg	110%
Calcium	104mg	10%
Iron	5mg	28%