Recreate a Chinese takeaway at home: sweet chilli crispy chicken wings recipe
Ingredients
1.6kg chicken wings
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
125g cornflour
vegetable oil for frying
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 large, dried red chillies, de-seeded and cut into quarters
60ml light soy sauce
120ml runny honey
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
Method
1. Pat the chicken wings with kitchen paper to make sure they are absolutely dry. Cut the tips off each wing and then cut each wing in half.
2. Put the chicken into a large bowl and mix with the salt, pepper and ginger. Add the cornflour to a separate large bowl, then thoroughly coat each chicken wing, gently squeezing to make sure the flour is sticking.
3. Put the coated wings on a plate and set aside.
4. Heat a large non-stick wok over a medium to high heat. Add 1–2 tablespoons of oil, then fry the garlic and chillies for 30 seconds, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the soy sauce, honey and vinegar, mix well and simmer for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the palm sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. Put enough vegetable oil in a large saucepan to be deep enough to deep-fry the wings, and heat to 170°C (340°F). Gently fry the wings in batches of five, cooking for 8–10 minutes depending on the thickness of each wing piece. Turn the wings frequently to ensure even cooking. Remove wings and drain on a wire rack. Continue until all the wings are fried.
7. Once all the wings are cooked and slightly cooled, reheat the oil (to the same temperature) and fry the wings again for another 12 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, remembering to turn the wings frequently. Remove and drain on a wire rack and repeat with the rest of the wings.
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Chinese Takeaway Cookbook by Kwoklyn Wan (Quadrille £15) Photography: Sam Folan