KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

These are highly addictive and it's probably a good job they are a bit of a faff otherwise we would be eating them all the time.  These chicken wings are coated in cornflour, fried, coated again, fried again and then doused in a highly addictive hot sweet spicy sauce. You get messy eating them and messy cooking them but they are well worth the trouble.  I don't have a deep fat fryer so cook them in a high sided sauté pan which is probably the best way as they would make a horrible mess of any fryer!

I like to serve them with a very simple coleslaw. Shred half a cabbage and a couple of carrots, along with a finely sliced shallot - I have one of those plastic mandolines which makes all this very easy.  Lots of black pepper, a sprinkle of sea salt and enough mayonnaise to keep it all together. The end result shouldn't be creamy, the mayonnaise should just be enough to bind.  A squirt of lemon juice lifts it all.

A word about quantity - my husband can eat chicken wings until he explodes so this amount is dinner for the pair of us...adjust to your own appetite!





INGREDIENTS

Wings
800g chicken wings (usually two packs and you don't want the wing tips)
8 tblsp. cornflour
1 tblsp. rice wine
Oil

Sauce
1 tblsp. soy sauce
3 tblsp. rice wine
2 tblsp. white wine vinegar - or apple cider vinegar
I tblsp. gochujang, Korean red chilli pepper paste - most Chinese supermarkets carry it, it usually comes in a plastic tub
3 tblsp. honey
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tblsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. grated garlic
2 tblsp. chopped peanuts for garnish

METHOD

Joint the chicken wings into little drumsticks and the flat two boned wing piece. Put them in a big bowl, add the vinegar and toss them together. Leave for half an hour.

To make the sauce put all the ingredients in a saucepan, slowly bring up to the bowl making sure the sugar has all melted. Simmer for ten minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.

Prepare a grill pan or similar by lining with foil and putting on top the grill rack.

In a wide deep frying pan heat up half an inch of oil.  I use rapeseed oil (not the cold pressed expensive stuff, the ordinary cooking oil) because it gets to a nice high temperature for frying.

Bring the oil up to a medium frying heat then dip each chicken wing in cornflour and put into the pan to fry.  Don't overcrowd the pan.  Fry on each side for three to four minutes then put on the grill pan rack to drain.  They don't have to be brown at this stage but the cornflour should look crisp.  Dredge the draining wings with another coat of cornflour.

 

Once all the chicken wings have been fried and are draining let the oil cool then strain it to get rid of the residue.  Put the strained oil back into the pan, top up with clean oil and then prepare to start frying again.  At this stage I put my oven on so that the first batch of wings I have second fried keep hot but I am a bit of a fiend for hot food - up to you!

Fry all the chicken wings again at a medium heat until they are golden brown.  Transfer them to a hot wide shallow bowl, pour over the hot sauce, then toss and toss until the wings are thoroughly coated.  Sprinkle over the chopped peanuts and serve with the coleslaw, a bowl for the bones and a lot of kitchen towel.  Enjoy!

ALAN'S GOURMET KFC

I am extremely fortunate in that I am on good terms with my ex-husband - we meet every couple of months for a catch up over a couple of cocktails and some nice food. When we were together I rarely let him cook (I am very selfish in the kitchen) but he is now free to exercise his natural talent and shared this recipe with me. Living in Peckham fried chicken is everywhere and is a favourite late night snack chez nous but there is no comparison with homemade – and this recipe has been given an unreserved thumbs up. So here, for your delectation, is…

*Alan’s Gourmet KFC*

Measurements are for two pieces so multiply as necessary. 

For the marinade: 

Buttermilk

½ tsp coriander

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 red chillies (seeds removed if you don’t like it spicy) - finely chopped

½ small onion, finely chopped

Fresh coriander

2 chicken pieces, skinless (I like thighs and drumsticks with the bones in)

For the coating: 

Plain flour

100ml milk

1 egg

½ tsp celery salt

2 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp ground black pepper 

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and then add the chicken pieces making sure that they are completely covered in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate for several hours, ideally overnight. 

Mix the egg and milk in a bowl, then mix in all the dry ingredients except the flour.

Scrape the marinade off the chicken pieces then dip them in the egg mixture, and then dip in flour. Dip the chicken back in the egg mix, and then in the flour for a second time. Put chicken pieces to one side on a plate.   

Deep fry the chicken pieces at 150C for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked. Put the chicken on a rack in a low oven (150C) to keep warm and crisp until everything is ready.  You may want to make some chips, coleslaw, baked beans or corn cobs to accompany…. whatever floats your boat!