Japanese Ginger and Garlic Chicken with Smashed Cucumber

Ingredients

• For the chicken:
• 3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon brown miso
• 2/3 cup peeled and finely grated ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon togarashi seasoning, or 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 8 good-size skinless, bone-in chicken thighs, or other bone-in chicken pieces
• For the cucumber:
• 1 1/2 cucumbers
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 tablespoons pink pickled ginger, very finely shredded
• Small handful of shiso leaves, if available, or mint leaves, torn, optional

Directions

1. Stir together all the chicken ingredients other than the chicken to form the marinade. Use a knife to prick the meaty side of the chicken pieces, then place them in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the top and work it into the chicken, flipping the pieces so they are coated all over. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 30–60 minutes.
2. When it is time to roast, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lift the chicken from the marinade and arrange it in a shallow ovenproof dish, fitting the pieces close together in one layer. Spoon half the marinade over the chicken. Roast for 40 minutes, occasionally basting with the pan juices and the reserved marinade. After 20 minutes, stop using any remaining marinade so it has time to cook through properly. To test the chicken, pierce the meat with a knife; the liquid should run clear, with no pinkness.
3. While the chicken is at the halfway point in the oven, peel the cucumber, cut it lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds. Place it on a board and tap it lightly with a pestle or rolling pin so it cracks and loosens. Pull it apart into chunks with your hands.
4. Mash the garlic with a pinch of the salt, then rub that mixture, along with the remaining salt, into the cucumber. Transfer the cucumber to a small plastic bag, press out the air, and chill it for 10 minutes. Just before eating, pour the cucumber into a sieve and let the liquid drain off. Toss in the shredded ginger. Add shiso leaves if you have them, or use mint instead. Serve the chicken with brown rice or rice vermicelli, with the cucumber alongside.