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1
Grate the ginger and garlic on a microplane directly into a bowl — coarse grating leaves visible fragments that will burn in the oil; the result should be a fine, almost liquid paste. Combine with the shoyu, sake, mirin, and sesame oil. Add the chicken pieces, turn to coat thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and no longer than 8 hours. Two to four hours is optimal; the marinade is done when the chicken has taken on a deep amber colour from the shoyu.
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2
Remove the chicken from the marinade and lay the pieces on a clean rack or tray lined with paper towel. Pat each piece vigorously dry on all surfaces. This step decides the dish: wet chicken creates steam inside the oil, which collapses the starch coating before a crust can form — every trace of surface moisture must be removed before coating.
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3
Combine the katakuriko and flour in a wide shallow bowl in the ratio 70:30. Working immediately before frying — pre-coated karaage allowed to rest becomes damp and loses its crispness potential — dredge each chicken piece in the starch blend, pressing firmly so the coating adheres. Shake off any loose excess. The surface should feel dry and powdery to the touch with no bare patches.
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4
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 165°C. To test without a thermometer, drop a small pinch of starch into the oil — if it sinks slightly then rises surrounded by steady bubbles, the temperature is correct. Lower the chicken pieces in batches, without crowding, and fry for 3–4 minutes. The exterior will be pale gold and set; an instant probe should read 72°C at the centre. Remove to a rack and rest for 3 minutes.
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5
Raise the oil temperature to 185°C. Return the rested chicken to the oil and fry for 90 seconds. The crust will deepen to a rich amber and the surface will audibly crackle. Remove immediately to a rack — the sound is the cue: a continuous, sharp crackling indicates the second fry has driven off remaining surface moisture and the crust is set.
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6
Serve immediately on a warm plate alongside lemon wedges and Kewpie mayonnaise. The acid of the lemon, squeezed at the table, cuts through the oil; the mayonnaise provides the designed counterpoint of rich fat to the crisp, savoury exterior.