Red-Cooked Chicken Wings 🇨🇳

 

I cannot possibly exclude red-cooked chicken wings from my food blog.  It is one of the first dishes  I ever learnt to make following the recipe in Aunt Ming's cookbook 'Chinese Cooking in American Kitchens'.  They do very well as an appetiser,  something to serve at a 'stand-up' party, a platter for the grazing table, or a tasty little snack between meals.  There is no polite way of eating them - it is a finger food.  You will get your hands messy as you munch your way down to the bones and cartilages to enjoy the succulent flesh and the gelatinous skin which has fully taken on the colour and flavour of soy sauce infused with aromatics.  My husband and I love them so much we often have them with a plate of rice and vegetables for dinner.  

Serves 8-10 as an appetiser

INGREDIENTS

• 1.2kg / 2lb 10oz chicken wings or chicken nibbles
• 3 large slices fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons Chinese Shaoxin wine
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or malt vinegar
• 1-2 spring onions, finely chopped, for garnishing

METHOD

1. Joint the chicken wings with a sharp knife if they have not already been separated into drumettes and wingettes.  (Wing tips will add flavour to the dish, or you can remove and save them for making your next batch of stock.)
2. Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium high heat and fry ginger and garlic for a minute to release their flavour.
3. Add chicken wings, a few at a time, and sauté for about 2 minutes with a wooden spoon, turning them around to coat with oil and slightly brown them on all sides.
4. Add the wine.  Let it sizzle for 30 seconds before adding the fish sauce, light and dark soy sauce, sugar and vinegar.  Mix well with the wings.
5. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to simmer for 30 minutes or until the wings are fully cooked.  Stir and turn the wings around once or twice during cooking so they are evenly coloured in the sauce.
6. Turn the heat back up to medium high and cook the wings uncovered for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is evaporated, leaving just a little gravy.   This gives the wings a glazed look.
7. Discard ginger and garlic.  Arrange the wings on a platter.  Pour over any gravy left in the pan.  Garnish with spring onions.