L&L katsu applauds Knicks’ Lin

I love Jeremy Lin. I would like to shake his hand, cook him dinner, introduce him to my daughter. None of these things being likely, I’ll just think about them, specifically what I might make him for dinner. Perhaps it would be L&L Drive-Inn Lin-Katsu, developed by the restaurant to honor the New York Knicks basketball star.

Do super athletes eat fried food? Are their meta­bolisms so super-charged that they can eat anything? L&L owner Eddie Flores thought the idea worth putting on the table, so to speak, and ordered up the tribute dish, then passed on the recipe for the truly Lin-sane to make at home.

It’s a long one, so I’ll stop talking soon. Just a couple of points:

» The katsu part of this dish is identical to L&L’s regular katsu, which turns out light and moist, even in the hands of an inexperienced fryer like me. If you love katsu, this is a solid recipe, no matter how you feel about basketball.

» The difference is in the sauce, a sweet-spicy mayo mixture. To make it you also need to mix up a batch of L&L’s barbecue sauce, but that’s OK as you can use the leftovers on any meat the next time you grill.

» If you prefer a traditional katsu sauce, take a cup of barbecue sauce and stir in some ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. It’ll be a reasonable facsimile.

L&L DRIVE-INN LIN-KATSU CHICKEN

8 boneless, skinless thighs chicken
8 ounces panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Vegetable oil, for frying

» Batter:
1 egg
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon EACH salt, pepper and garlic powder
1/4 cup water

» Sauce:
2 tablespoons EACH sugar, vinegar and vegetable oil
2 tablespoons L&L barbecue sauce (recipe follows, or use any soy sauce-based barbecue sauce)
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1-1/2 teaspoons EACH sriracha chili paste and mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon EACH minced garlic, salt and pepper

To make sauce: Combine ingredients; mix well. Makes about 1/2 cup. Keep chilled.

Butterfly chicken thighs (spread them apart so they lie flat; cut in half if necessary to fit in your frying pan).

Whisk together batter ingredients, adding water gradually until smooth (batter should be thin).

Heat oil to 340 degrees. Coat chicken in batter; dredge in panko. Fry in oil until brown and crispy, about 5 minutes per piece, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Shake off excess oil and drain on paper towels. Cut into strips. Serve with sauce. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving, with 2 tablespoons sauce per serving: 800 calories, 48 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 170 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 63 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 34 g protein

L&L BARBECUE SAUCE

1 cup water
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons flour

Combine all ingredients except flour in pot and bring to simmer. Slowly whisk in flour, whisking constantly until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Mixture will thicken more as it cools. Makes about 2-3/4 cups.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 2 tablespoons: 35 calories, no fat, cholesterol or fiber, 1,150 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 5 g sugar, 2 g protein

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Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. Email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.