Lemon-Glazed Fried Squid (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】イカのレモン風味揚げ · Ika no Remon Fumiage
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Squid can be a tough sell for kids, but this school lunch favorite wins them over: strips of squid get a quick soak in sake to keep them tender and mellow any strong flavor, then a light potato-starch coating so they fry up crisp. While they are still hot, they go straight into a warm soy-sugar sauce brightened with a squeeze of lemon, so the glaze clings to every piece. The tangy, slightly sweet coating is what makes children come back for more, and it tastes just as good at room temperature in a lunch box.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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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 elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 74.3 gfrozen squid (cut into strips)
- 7.4 gwater
Seasonings
- 1.4 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.
- 10.2 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 8.9 gvegetable oil
- 3.3 gsoy sauce
- 2.1 gsugar
- 1.4 glemon juice
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- 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.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Thaw the squid (fresh squid works too!). Drain it in a colander, then pat the surface thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- 2
Put the squid and sake in a bowl and rub the sake into the squid. Let it marinate for about 5 minutes.
- 3
Coat the squid in potato starch and deep-fry in oil heated to 170°C (340°F) for about 3 to 4 minutes (it's delicious when fried until nice and crisp).
- 4
Put the soy sauce, sugar and water in a pot and let it bubble over low heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice and turn off the heat right away.
- 5
Add the freshly fried squid to the warm sauce and toss well so every piece is coated.
* Squid that is already cut into rectangular strips makes this recipe easy.
* If you simmer the sauce in step 4 a little longer, it becomes richer and more concentrated. Adjust it to the strength of flavor you like.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 182 kcal | 363.9 kcal | 182 kcal |
| Protein | 13.5 g | 27 g | 13.5 g |
| Fat | 9.3 g | 18.6 g | 9.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.1 g | 22.2 g | 11.1 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 9.9 mg | 19.8 mg | 9.9 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 240.8 mg | 481.5 mg | 240.8 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 182 kcal | 13.5 g | 9.3 g | 11.1 g | 0 g | 0.8 g | 9.9 mg | 0.3 mg | 240.8 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 363.9 kcal | 27 g | 18.6 g | 22.2 g | 0 g | 1.5 g | 19.8 mg | 0.6 mg | 481.5 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school 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.
