Fried Bear

Also called Chicken-Fried Bear (Anime)

Chef: Akira Hayama
In the manga: Chapter 187
In the anime: Episode 55
Cuisine and type: American, Fried

Fried Bear is a dish made by Akira Hayama during his cooking duel against Sōma Yukihira.

This is a dish based off of the popular Southern United States dish fried chicken, substituting chicken meat with bear meat instead. Just looking at it's sparkling surface will make you salivate. With the gravy sauce, just a drop will make the diner it's pet. Combined with the bear it becomes stimulating and spicy, yet mellow and sweet. And by using his mastery of spices, he transforms the bear's natural bone stench into an highly intricate constructed tower of flavor. Overall, it is a delicate balance between fragrance and taste.

Trivia

Fried chicken (also referred to as Southern fried chicken for the variant in the United States) is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan-fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior of the chicken. What separates fried chicken from other fried forms of chicken is that generally the chicken is cut at the joints, and the bones and skin are left intact. Crisp well-seasoned skin, rendered of excess fat, is a hallmark of well made fried chicken.
A Genièvre or juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinctive flavour. Juniper berries may be the only spice derived from conifers.
Cayenne powder may be a blend of different types of peppers. Cayenne powder is distinguished from 'chili powder' as it is made from cayenne peppers only, whereas chili powder is generally a spice mixture. It is employed variously in its fresh form, or as dried powder used on seafood, all types of egg dishes (devilled eggs, omelettes, soufflés), meats and stews, casseroles, cheese dishes, hot sauces, and curries.
The cayenne pepper is a type of Capsicum annuum. It is usually a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Cayenne peppers are a group of tapering, 10 to 25 cm long, generally skinny, mostly red colored peppers, often with a curved tip and somewhat rippled skin, which hang from the bush as opposed to growing upright. Most varieties are generally rated at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units.

Dish details from the Shokugeki no Sōma Wiki (CC BY-SA).

Recipe

Official manga recipe

Hayama’s Fried Chicken ~w/ Creamy Juniper Berry Gravy~

Home version using chicken instead of bear meat

Difficulty
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Hands-on: 1 h 5 min
Cost: ¥¥¥¥
Servings: 2

Equipmentfrying pan, deep-fry thermometer

Tastespicy, herby, comforting

Ingredients

2 bone-in chicken thighs
Frying oil, to taste

[A]

1 egg
100 ml milk
50 g flour
50 g potato starch

[B]

100 g flour
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground chili pepper
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp oregano
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp salt

Creamy Gravy

1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
100 ml milk
1 tsp granulated consomme
5 juniper berries (roughly crushed)

Method

1
Cut the chicken thighs at its joints and pat them with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture. Rub with salt and let sit for 10 minutes.
2
Mix the [A] ingredients together well, and then separately mix the [B] ingredients well.
3
Dip the chicken thighs in the batter from the [A] ingredients, and then sprinkle generously with the dry mix from the [B] ingredients.
4
Heat the frying oil to 355°F/180°C and then fry the chicken thighs for 15 minutes, turning them over once. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Sprinkle the flour in and whisk well. Once it becomes golden brown, pour in the milk slowly and whisk until it’s thick and creamy. Add the granulated consomme and juniper berries and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Let’s make the Creamy Gravy now
5
Plate the chicken and drizzle over the creamy gravy, and you’re done!

Food safety

Cook poultry until the thickest part reaches 74 °C / 165 °F (duck breast may be served pink at 57–60 °C if it is whole-muscle and from a trusted source).