Sticky Malaysian Chicken Wings

I’ll be completely forthcoming on this one – not to suggest that I’m NOT usually forthcoming… nevermind – but this recipe was a random find from http://www.foodandwine.com. In fact, I had been trying to think of recipes to make for a superbowl party – GO SEAHAWKS! – when I saw this recipe pop up in my facebook newsfeed. It was enticing: the picture looked delicious, I like Andrew Zimmern (if only in that I like seeing him scarf down things that would never pass my lips), and I had never tried making one-pot wings before. I was already planning on making a batch of baked All-American wings (I’ll post the recipe later), so this new find was right down the same alley, and seemed like it might be a crowd-pleaser. What follows is the slightly modified recipe as found on foodandwine.com.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds chicken wings, wing tips removed and wings cut into 2 pieces

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

• 4 small dried red chiles

• 2 whole star anise (which was an interesting, new ingredient for me)

• One 3-inch cinnamon stick

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 1/3 cup sake

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 3 tablespoons mirin

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

In a large nonstick frying pan, cook the chicken wings over moderate heat, turning once, until golden, about 10 mintues fro a single batch. Add the ginger, chiles, star anise and cinnamon and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the soy sauce, sake, oyster sauce, mirin, sugar and 1/3 cup of water and bring to a simmer over moderate heat.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the wings are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze, about 8 minutes.

Discard the chiles, star anise and cinnamon. Transfer the chicken wings to a platter, scatter the scallions on top and serve with lime wedges.

I would highly recommend this recipe. The wings were tender and flavorful, and the sauce was sticky, sweet and just a little spicy. The dish had a rich and beautiful depth of flavor that the onion and lime garnish served only to enhance.

The only drawback was that the Mirin, which is a sugary rice-wine (like sake) condiment used mostly in Japanese cuisine, was a little hard to find.