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China Appetizer Five Spice Wings Beijing Wings (even rhymes)—an Asian twist on a US favorite. Delicious!
Batter 6-8 C vegetable oil (for deep frying) Marinate: in a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients for marinade. Add chicken and marinate for 2 hours. Batter: combine next 4 ingredients (not oil) in a bag. Pat wings dry, drop them into bag, and shake to coat with seasonings. Deep Fry: heat oil to 350 in a skillet or wok. Lower wings in one or two at a time. Cook 3 minutes each side and drain on paper towels. Serve hot. |
Tips & Glossary Many ingredients used in Chinese cooking probably aren’t in your spice shelf, but you can find them at Asian grocery stores. To avoid frustration, make a list of the items before trying recipes. Agar Agar: dried seaweed used as a gelatin. Buy it in sticks (or strips) and soak in cold water to soften. Chili Oil: buy it or make your own. For a recipe, see Hunan Chicken. Chinese Cabbage: aka “Nappa”;long, white stalks with light green crinkly leaves. Deep Frying: use a deep-fry thermometer to reach the recipe's correct temperature; if the oil isn't hot enough, the food will be soggy. When cool, the oil can be strained, refrigerated, and re-used. Dried Shrimp: tiny, salted, sun-dried shrimp that add a pungent flavor to Asian cooking. Soak before using. Five-Spice Powder: blend of star anise, cinamon, cloves, fennel and Szechuan peppercorns. Like allspice. Peppersalt: buy or make your own. Heat 2 T Szechuan peppercorns in skillet 5 min. Grind into powder and mix with 2 T salt. Sauces: Hoisin (sweet, from soybeans); Oyster (like soy, from oysters); Sweet Bean (canned, salty, from soybeans); Hot Bean (hot & salty, from soybeans and peppers). Sesame Paste: from gound sesame seeds; substitute with peanut butter. Sweet Rice Powder: from glutinous rice; used in place of flour in many desserts. Szechuan peppercorns: dried reddish berries, fragrant and mildly hot.
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