I thought about throwing my Chicken Wing recipe into the mix in time for Super Bowl Sunday. But then I was inundated with Wings recipes: 10 in an email from RecipeZaar, another 8 developed by my heroine, Grace Parisi, in this month’s Food and Wine. The world, I decided, did not need another Wings recipe. That was, of course, before I cooked mine.
At left: Jalan Alor Wings from this summer’s Wing Fest.
I’ve been a Wings fan for awhile. I spent a good part of the summer making wings of all kinds. Barbecue Wings. Roasted Wings. Citrus-y wings. But the hands-down winner of my taste tests was the wings I made with a recipe that started out as one for Korean Fried Chicken Gourmet. It was from “Quick and Easy Korean Cooking” by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee. I’ve grown very fond of Korean food having been introduced to it by my Korean friend, YoonJung Cosby. I like its heat and its back and forth exchange of sweet and sour.
I changed the recipe for Fried Chicken to make my wings. My passion for Kecap Manis came into play. The sweet, thick soy sauce was a fantastic addition to the recipe. I also changed the recipe for the Corn starch coating the original called for. I wanted it to stick better to the chicken which mine now does. Then I used one of my Grace Parisi learnings: taking a traditional accompaniment to whatever you are cooking and putting a fresh spin on it. In this case, lifting the inevitable carrot sticks of Buffalo Wings fame and making a carrot slaw that’s a riff on one of Ina Garten’s recipes. I wish I could figure out something to replace the celery sticks next. Here’s the recipe:
Recipe for Korean Chicken Wings:
2 lbs of chicken wings, cut into three pieces—the drumstick, the wing and tip which you can either save for stock or throw out.
2 Medium Onions, grated
2 large Garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs
1 cup cold water
2 cups Cornstarch
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
Canola Oil for Frying
6 tbsp. Korean Chili Garlic Sauce
5 tbsp. Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
5 tbsp. Sugar
4 tbsp. Ketchup
4 tbsp. Sesame seeds, toasted
Juice of 1 lemon
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a large bowl, Toss the chicken with the onion and garlic and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This is almost as long as it will take you to prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Whisk the eggs, water, cornstarch, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl.
- Over medium-high heat, heat at least an inch of oil in a deep, heavy saucepan. Once the oil is hot, using long handled tongs, dip the wings, one at a time, into the cornstarch mixture and carefully place it in the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is almost full but the chicken pieces are not touching. Cook until crispy and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Check to make sure the wings are cooked through by cutting the largest of them to see that the juices run clear.
- Dip each wing into the chili sauce and put them on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil and put the pan into the oven to keep them warm as you proceed with frying the rest of the wings.
- Repeat until all the pieces are cooked. Remove from the oven, serve immediately. Serves 4 – 6 depending on appetite.
Recipe for Carrot and Pineapple Slaw, a riff on an Ina Garten recipe.
2 bunches of peeled carrots
1 cup of Mayonnaise – I love Hellman’s Olive Oil based Mayo
1 cup Pineapple cut into bite sized pieces.
1/2 cup Golden Raisins
1 ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
2 tbsp. Curry Powder
½ tsp. Freshly ground black pepper.
- In a food processor fitted with the large grating attachment, grate the carrots.
- Place the grated carrots in a large bowl, add the mayonnaise, pineapple, raisins, curry powder, salt and pepper. Toss well and check the seasoning. Chill in the refrigerator until time to serve.
I have been using a version of Cecilia's Korean fried chicken recipe for months. I use boneless chicken breast. I have to try it with the Kecap Manis, instead of American ketchup. Thanks.