Secret Ingredients...

For something to legitimately be a secret ingredient, it either needs to be the crux of an episode of Iron Chef, or it has to be the mysterious, unrecognizable ingredient that gives a dish the spark that defines it. For the Mochiko chicken, the secret ingredient is garlic. We didn't have any (which is *really* unusual for us), and we forgot to put it in regardless, and the first batch which was fried up tasted a little odd - not bad, but a little sweeter, and a little more eggy. We also didn't marinate the meat for nearly as long (24 hrs previously vs. 7 this time) - but the main difference was the garlic. We added garlic powder to the remaining marinade and let it sit for a few minutes, and the difference was astonishing.

Even garlic powder did the trick - it brought all the flavors into perfect balance - the sweetness of the sugar, the saltiness of the soy sauce, and the bite of the scallions and the garlic formed this perfect harmony of flavors that complemented the chicken perfectly.