Korean Fried Chicken Wings (The Real Kfc)

• 8 whole chicken wings
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 4-5 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 4-5 large dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and roughly chopped
• Handful toasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds

The Marinade

• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ thumb sized piece of ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 200g cornflour or cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder

The Sauce

• 1 tsp English mustard
• 2 tbsp. gochujang (Korean Chilli Paste)
• 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. maple syrup or honey
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar

• Slice through the joint of the chicken wings to separate the flats and drums to make them easier to fry without using excessive amounts of oil. Place in a large mixing bowl and massage ‘The Marinade’ well around all the chicken wings, taking care to use the cornflour/corn starch and baking powder at the end.

• Mix ‘The Sauce’ ingredients together in a bowl until sugar fully dissolves.

• BUILD YOUR WOK CLOCK: Starting at 12 o’clock with the bowl of marinated chicken wings, followed by the peanuts, garlic, chopped dried chillies and lastly ‘The Sauce’.

• Fill your wok or deep-fryer 1/3 the way up with vegetable oil, and heat to 180°C. Test the temperature of your oil by placing the tip of a wooden implement, such as a skewer or chopstick, into the oil: if the wood starts to fizz after a second or so, the oil has reached 180°C. Carefully add the chicken wings into the oil and fry for 1 minute before turning the heat down to a medium – low heat. Continue to deep-fry for 6-8 minutes, turning the chicken wings occasionally until very crisp and golden brown. Drain onto a tray covered with kitchen paper and then pour the excess oil carefully through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl.

• Return wok to a medium heat, add 2 tbsp. vegetable oil and stir-fry the peanuts for 30 seconds before adding the garlic. Then add the dried chillies, stir fry for 30 seconds, turn the heat up to high and pour in ‘The Sauce’. Bring to a boil and reduce the sauce by half until thickened to a light syrup texture (approx. 1-2 minutes). Add fried chicken into the wok and fold through until fully coated with sauce.

Serve and enjoy