Spicy chicken wings (yangnyeom tongdak)

• makes

  12

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small onion
• 12 large chicken wings
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 150 g (1 cup) potato flour (see Note), plus extra, to dust
• vegetable oil, to deep-fry
• chopped unsalted peanuts, to serve

Sweet and spicy sauce

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 95 g (⅓ cup) gochujang (Korean chilli paste) (see Note)
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp corn syrup or honey

Marinating time 2 hours

Instructions

Process garlic and onion in a food processor to a paste. Place in a bowl with chicken, mirin, ginger, 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper, and combine. Refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate.

Meanwhile, to make sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes or until softened. Add remaining ingredients and 60 ml water, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Whisk flour with 100 ml water until smooth. Fill a deep-fryer or large pan one-third full with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 170°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 15 seconds).

Working in 3 batches, dust wings in extra flour, dip into batter, allow excess to drain off, then drop into oil and fry, turning halfway, for 4 minutes or until cooked and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season. Serve with the sauce and peanuts.

Note

• From health and Asian food shops.

• Korean chilli powder is from Korean food shops. Substitute lightly crushed chilli flakes.

Photography by Brett Stevens.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.