The culinary landscape in Japan is surprising, if not shocking. On a recent trip that included Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto, I was constantly reminded of the tension between the traditional (miso soup, broiled salmon for breakfast, Izakaya small plates, and of course sushi) and foods that I would not necessarily associate with Japan including cheesecake, pancakes, even creme-­filled doughnuts.

Double-fried chicken wings, tebasaki, fall somewhere in between, invented at the Furaibo restaurant in Nagoya in the 1960s. They are super-crispy and are finished with a thin peppery glaze. I fell in love with these wings in Nagoya at Maka Maka Honten and Yamachan.

The first essential technique is double-frying; a single fry will not deliver the signature thin crispy skin. The second secret is a peppery potato starch coating. Finally, the finishing glaze contains sake, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger and then the fried wings get a sprinkle of sugar mixed with ground white and black peppercorns. Some versions also finish the fried wings with sesame seeds.

Tebasaki are served at Izakaya (bars offering small plates), especially in Nagoya, and an ice-cold beer is the perfect side dish.

Chris Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."