Korean fried chicken wings
Before anyone points out that my last book was on healthy eating and I now have Korean fried chicken on the menu, Iâm not suggesting you eat this every day. I donât even eat it once a month. But when I do, I bloody love it. Hot, sweet, dark, messy and wickedly good. I am not a fan of deep-frying â I get the children to stand by with a fire blanket when the fat gets to that rolling stage â but sometimes it is worth the effort (and I did try various âoven-bakedâ versions to make life easier for you, but they didnât cut the mustard). This is Friday night food, itâs not for cooking when youâre in a hurry. Best if two of you can share the deep-frying duties. Get the beers in, guysâŚ
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- 4 garlic cloves grated
- 2.5 cm 1in root ginger, peeled and grated
- 4½ tbsp Korean chilli paste gochujang
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 75 g 2žoz plain flour
- 4 tbsp rice flour
- 1.5 kg 3lb 5oz chicken wings, tips removed if you prefer
- vegetable oil to deep-fry
- sesame seeds to sprinkle
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
Instructions
- Put everything for the sauce into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring a little to help the sugar dissolve.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
- It should be quite thick.
- Cook the chicken in three batches so as not to overcrowd the pan (if you do, the temperature of the oil drops immediately).
- Mix the plain flour and rice flour together in a bowl.
- Toss the chicken wings in this and shake off the excess.
- Put about 7.
- 5cm (3in) of oil into a deep pan and heat to 160°C (325°F).
- Add one batch of chicken wings and cook for six minutes at this temperature (keep an eye on the temperature, reducing the heat or pulling the pan off the heat for a little while if necessary).
- As each batch is done, remove to a metal rack set over layers of kitchen paper.
- Now heat the oil to 180°C (350°F), put the wings back (again in three batches) and cook them for another five minutes.
- Remove again to the rack and let the excess oil drip off on to the kitchen paper.
- Paint them all over with the sauce, put them on a plate and sprinkle on the sesame seeds and spring onions.
- Serve the rest of the sauce on the side.
