Steps

1. Slice 200g of burdock root diagonally into 5mm thick pieces.
   🕒 01:55
2. Quickly rinse the sliced burdock root in water and drain thoroughly. [Key Tip!] Soaking for too long will diminish the aroma, so a quick rinse is best.
   🕒 02:20
3. Trim the ends of 8 green beans and cut them into 3 pieces each.
   🕒 02:44
4. Remove bones and visible tendons from 2 chicken thighs and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
   🕒 03:00
5. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt from [A] to the cut chicken and knead thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the meat looks slightly moist. [Key Tip!] The water-retaining effect of sugar makes the chicken juicy.
   🕒 05:05
6. Coat the drained burdock root and the seasoned chicken separately with potato starch (as needed).
   🕒 05:51
7. Heat about 2cm of vegetable oil in a frying pan to 170°C (340°F).
   🕒 07:17
8. Add the green beans to the oil and deep-fry for about 20-30 seconds. Remove when they turn slightly white.
   🕒 07:33
9. Next, add the burdock root to the oil and fry for about 2 minutes. If they stick together during frying, separate them once the edges firm up.
   🕒 08:11
10. Finally, add the chicken to the oil and fry for 4-5 minutes. Do not touch until the outer layer firms up, then stir and fry until cooked through. Remove and drain excess oil.
    🕒 09:07
11. In a separate frying pan, combine 4 tbsp of cooking sake (rice wine), 4 tbsp of mirin (sweet rice wine), 4 tbsp of soy sauce, 3 tbsp of sugar, and 2 tbsp of white sesame seeds (ground) from [B]. Bring to a boil over heat. [Key Tip!] Adding white sesame seeds is an original touch by Chef Kasahara.
    🕒 11:28
12. Bring the sauce to a rolling boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and simmer until it thickens slightly.
    🕒 11:57
13. Add the fried chicken, burdock root, and green beans to the thickened sauce and toss briefly to coat everything.
    🕒 12:30
14. Serve generously on a plate and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) to taste.
    🕒 12:53