Chicken Nanbanzuke (Chicken in Sweet Vinegar Sauce)
鶏肉の南蛮漬け · Toriniku no Nanbanzuke
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Nanbanzuke is a Japanese dish of fried fish or chicken steeped in a sweet vinegar sauce; the name comes from the "nanban" (southern barbarian) cooking that arrived with Portuguese and Spanish traders, and it is a close cousin of escabeche. In this preschool version the chicken is marinated in ginger, sake and soy sauce, dusted with flour and baked in the oven rather than deep-fried, so there is far less oil to deal with. The sauce is softened with dashi and a little sugar, so the vinegar is gentle enough for small children, and boiled cucumber and peeled, diced tomato turn it into a colorful topping. The tangy sauce makes the chicken taste light and refreshing, which is why kids keep coming back for more.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 75 gchicken thigh
- 12 gcucumber
- 24 gtomato
Seasonings
- 0.3 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 1.5 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 0.8 gsoy sauce
- 7.5 gflour
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 2 gsugar
- 2 gsoy sauce (for the nanban vinegar sauce)
- 2.4 gvinegar
- 9.8 mldashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
Directions
- 1
Cut the chicken into 20 g pieces. Combine the ginger, sake and soy sauce and marinate the chicken in the mixture. Brush a baking sheet with oil, coat the chicken pieces in flour and arrange them on the sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for about 20 minutes.
- 2
Cut the cucumber into half-moons, boil it, then squeeze out the excess water. Blanch the tomato in hot water to peel it, then cut it into dice.
- 3
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and dashi stock and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the vegetables from step 2.
- 4
Plate the chicken from step 1 and spoon the sauce from step 3 over the top.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 198 kcal | 396 kcal | 198 kcal |
| Protein | 13.5 g | 27 g | 13.5 g |
| Fat | 12.3 g | 24.6 g | 12.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.3 g | 18.6 g | 9.3 g |
| Fiber | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 10.5 mg | 21 mg | 10.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 318 mg | 636 mg | 318 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 198 kcal | 13.5 g | 12.3 g | 9.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.6 g | 10.5 mg | 0.5 mg | 318 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 396 kcal | 27 g | 24.6 g | 18.6 g | 1.2 g | 1.2 g | 21 mg | 0.9 mg | 636 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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