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1
Combine the soy sauce, sake, mirin, grated ginger, and grated garlic in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 20 minutes; overnight produces a fully seasoned interior rather than surface seasoning only. The chicken is ready when the pieces have taken on a deep amber colour from the marinade.
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2
Remove the chicken from the marinade and allow any excess liquid to drain briefly. Immediately before frying, add the potato starch to the chicken and toss to coat each piece evenly. The coating must go directly into the oil without delay — wet marinade breaks down the starch if it is allowed to sit, and a compromised coating cannot recover in the fryer.
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3
Heat the neutral oil in a deep vessel to 170°C. Fry the chicken in uncrowded batches for 3–4 minutes. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and produces steamed rather than fried chicken. The pieces are ready for the first pull when they are pale gold and, on pressing with a probe or chopstick, the juices run clear.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Transfer the par-fried pieces to a rack and rest them for exactly 3 minutes — carryover heat continues cooking the interior. Raise the oil to 185°C. Return the chicken to the oil for 90 seconds at full heat. The exterior must shatter audibly when the pieces are lifted; a dull or muffled sound indicates insufficient temperature or time at the second fry. Maximum crispness with a completely juicy interior is the only acceptable result.
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5
Drain the finished pieces briefly on a rack. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges alongside. The lemon brightens the soy-garlic marinade and cuts the richness of frying; it is applied at the table by the diner, not in the kitchen.