This is the chicken snack we want to see on all party menus

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: This is the chicken snack that we want to see on all snack menus.

Confession: I really love snacks. When I go somewhere to drink, I almost reach for the snack menu before the drink menu. A slightly different snack menu is a big plus for me. Because bitterballen and cheese sticks, we know those well enough, right… Exactly. That's why I was particularly excited when spot Venster 33 in the Amsterdam Pijp added the snack tatsuta to the menu.

Ingredients
– 600 grams of chicken thigh
– 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
– 2 tablespoons of sake
– 1 tablespoon of Japanese rice wine
– 2 tablespoons of ginger juice
– 1 cup of Katakuriko

Let me start by saying that I am glad I can write this and not say it out loud, because I still struggle with that. And that I saw this on the menu and had never heard of it before. So I asked around, and the answer was: ‘Japanese fried chicken’. Check. We're doing it. Well, believe me: you never want that cheese stick next to your drink again. Tatsuta is the way to go.

Okay… Tatsuta?
Japanese fried chicken, then. If possible, chicken thighs, as that makes it the most tender and juicy. Tatsuta is a specific way of frying: after the chicken is marinated, it is coated with Katakuriko (potato starch) or corn starch if Katakuriko is not available. And then hop, into the fryer.

So I always order it lazily at my favorite place, but you can also make it yourself. It's not that difficult and you'll have the very best snack on the table. Never experienced that the bitterballen get cold? That's going to happen to you now. Guaranteed success. You can serve them with sriracha mayonnaise, ponzu sauce, or whatever you like.

This is how you make tatsuta
1. Cut the chicken thighs into large pieces.
2. Make the marinade (soy sauce, sake, Japanese rice wine, ginger juice) and let the chicken thigh marinate in it overnight.
3. Lightly dry the chicken with paper towels.
4. Coat them with Katakuriko (or corn starch if you don't have that).
5. Fry them up.