1.
tatsuta-age; deep-fried marinated chicken (or fish)
Bite-sized pieces of chicken or fish marinated in soy sauce, mirin, and ginger, then dusted in potato starch and deep-fried. The reddish-brown color of the surface is said to resemble autumn leaves on the Tatsuta River.
昼食に竜田揚げを作った。
I made tatsuta-age for lunch.
鶏肉の竜田揚げはお弁当の定番だ。
Chicken tatsuta-age is a standard item in bento boxes.
竜田揚げは下味をしっかりつけてから揚げると、冷めてもおいしい。
Tatsuta-age stays tasty even after it cools if you marinate it well before frying.
Name comes from the 竜田川 (Tatsuta River) in Nara, famous in classical poetry for its red autumn maple leaves — the soy-marinated surface turns a similar reddish brown after frying.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 鶏の竜田揚げ: chicken tatsuta-age
- 鯖の竜田揚げ: mackerel tatsuta-age
- 竜田揚げ弁当: tatsuta-age bento
SIMILAR WORDS:
- から揚げ: karaage — also marinated, fried chicken, but the coating is usually flour or a mix; soy marination is lighter. The line between karaage and tatsuta-age is blurry, and many recipes overlap.
- 天ぷら: tempura — uses a batter rather than a dry starch coating; not marinated