Jung says: “I learned how to make these wings years ago from a Thai friend and they were so popular with my other friends that if I invited them to dinner, they would invariably request that I make these. I often made a double batch so they would have leftovers to take home.”

Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

16 peeled garlic cloves
6 spring onions (scallions)
½ tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp soy sauce (all-purpose Kikkoman or your favourite brand)
½ tsp Thai chilli flakes
Thai limes, to serve

For seasoning, coating and frying the chicken

1kg (2lb 4oz) chicken wings – mid-joint and/or drumette portions
2 red bird’s-eye chillies
2–3 peeled garlic cloves
15g (½oz) coriander (cilantro) roots with about 2.5cm (1in) of the stem
80ml (⅓ cup) fish sauce
20g (4 tsp) granulated sugar
20ml (4 tsp) fresh lime juice
1 tsp finely ground white pepper
about 100g (3½oz) coating mix (see below)
770ml (3⅓ cups) cooking oil

Method

Slash the mid-joint wings twice on each side, and the drumette portions once on each side, then put them in a bowl. Slice the bird’s eye chillies into thin rings, squeezing out and discarding the seeds as you go. Roughly chop the garlic and coriander roots, then put them in a mortar along with the chillies. Pound to a rough paste, then transfer to a bowl.

Add the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and pepper to the paste and mix well, then pour this over the wings. Mix well, then marinate at room temperature for 2–3 hours, or longer in the fridge.

Sprinkle the coating mix over the wings and mix until they are thoroughly coated, without any damp spots. Pour 750ml (3¼ cups) of the cooking oil into a pan, preferably a medium wok, set over a medium heat. Fry the chicken at 160°C (320°F) in four or five batches. Fry for 5–6 minutes, then drain on a cooling rack placed over a tray. After frying the last batch, fry the wings again, this time at 170°C (340°F) for 1½ minutes.

Cool the oil slightly. Roughly chop the garlic and mince the spring onions. Put the garlic in the oil and fry at 150°C (300°F) until very pale golden, then scoop it out of the wok with a shallow mesh sieve (strainer). Drain briefly.

Pour the remaining 20ml (4 teaspoons) of oil into a large wok over a low heat. Add the fried garlic and the sugar and soy sauce. Stir constantly until the garlic darkens slightly, then mix in the spring onions and Thai chilli flakes. Add the wings and mix until the ingredients are combined. Put the wings on a platter and serve with Thai limes.

Basic coating mix

“It took much experimentation to figure out the correct proportions for this basic coating mix,” Jung explains. “My original recipe started off with more than 90% cake/ pastry flour and just a little of any other type of flour. Now, it’s only 40% cake flour, with the majority of the mix being potato, sweet potato or tapioca flour, depending on the type of crust I want – tapioca flour gives the hardest crunch while potato and sweet potato are softer.

“I make the coating mix in fairly small quantities, then store it in an airtight container. It will keep for at least three weeks but be sure to shake the container before using the mix, to redistribute the ingredients. If you’re avoiding gluten, use gluten-free flour in place of the cake or pastry flour.”

Ingredients

120g (4¼oz) potato, sweet potato or tapioca flour
80g (2¾oz) cake or pastry flour (or gluten-free flour)
5g (1 tsp) coarse salt flakes
1 tsp baking powder

Method

Whisk together both flours, then add the salt. Use a small sieve to sift the baking powder directly into the mixing bowl, then whisk again.

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