Intro:
Method:
Sticky Rice:
1. Let’s start this recipe by cooking the sticky rice, for the rice I simply used a rice cooker to make things nice and simple. Begin by soaking the rice in cold water the night before cookng as this will help to soften the rice. The following day wash the rice until the water runs clear then drain. Next add 200ml of coconut milk, approximately 50-100ml of water, 1 bruised lemongrass, 3 ripped kafir limes leaves, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp of salt and finally 1 tsp of sugar. Place the rice into the rice cooker and cook. You could also steam the rice if you don’t have a rice cooker however this process may take slightly longer and you would perhaps need less coconut milk and water.
Wings:
2. Now to prepare the wings, this task is a little tricky at first but once you get a grasp of the anatomy of a chicken wing you will be fine. Start by exposing the two wing bones by carefully running a small pairing knife around the bones to expose them from the flesh. Continue to run the knife around until roughly half of the bone is released from the flesh. To remove the bones gently dislocate the two bones from the joint of the wing tip, then carefully twist then pull out both bones taking care not to pierce the skin. Repeat for all the wings then set these to one side for now.
3. Now to go back to the sticky rice, by this point the rice should be cooked and not too dry making it easier to fill the wings. Remove the lemongrass, garlic and kafir lime leaves from the rice then allow the rice to cool. To add more fragrance to the rice roughly chop some coriander, spring onions, grate the zest of 1 lime then add to the sticky rice. Mix well then add the rice into a piping bag.
4. Now to fill the wings, pipe the rice into each wing. Ensure to fill the wings up as much as possible as we are after nice and plump wings. When ready place the wings onto a tray and we can make up a simple marinade that will compliment the sticky rice.
Dry Spice Rub:
6. Before we begin to cook the chicken there are a few additional ingredients to prepare to take the wings to that next level. For a simple dry rub in a small bowl add 2 tbsp of korean red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp of lime zest, 1 tbsp of toasted desiccated coconut and a pinch of salt. Mix well then we will season the chicken with this dry rub when cooked. We can also prepare a few sliced birdseye chillies, spring onions, some coriander and slice a lime into quaters. We will add these to the wings when we stir fry after being deep fried.
7. Now to cook the wings, to help make the wings as crispy as possible I found using potato starch works best, along with a quick deep fry followed with a final stir fry. If you can’t get hold of potato starch then cornstarch works just as well. Remove the wings from the marinade then evenly coat in potato starch. Set the dredged wings to one side then place a generous amount of cooking oil into a deep pan onto a high heat.
7. When the oil temperature reaches between 170-180°c we can start to fry, add the wings in batches to maintain the heat of the oil then fry for 6-8 minutes or until crispy golden brown. Flip the wings over during the frying process as this will achieve a more even crisp. When fried, carefully remove the wings and allow them to drain on a wire cooling rack.
8. To take the wings to that next level and give the chicken an extra crisp, add a small drizzle of cooking oil to a fresh pan then add the fried wings. Briefly stir fry then add the sliced chillies, spring onion and stir fry on a medium until fragrant and crispy. When ready season with the dry rub and we are ready to serve.
9. To serve lay the fried wings into a large serving bowl then scoop over the fried chillies and spring onions over the top. Hit the wings with another pinch of the dry rub and drizzle over some fresh lime juice and some fresh coriander. I hope you like this recipe and im sure you will love these wings!
Additional notes
Instead of frying the wings you could also try grilling them on a bbq. Simply take out the whole dredge part then grill the wings from the marinade. If you cant find sticky rice then short grain rice should do just fine for this recipe. As for the filling you could also add minced pork or even mushrooms for another delicious filling. Hope you like this recipe and peace as always!!!
