← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 1 kg Chicken wings, split into drumettes and flats, tips removed
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• ½ tsp White pepper
• ½ tsp Sugar
• 80 g Cornflour (cornstarch)
• ½ tsp Baking powder
• oil, for deep-frying
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 6 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Fish sauce
• 3 tbsp Brown sugar
• 3 tbsp Water
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 Bird's eye chilli, sliced
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Pat the wings dry, toss with the marinade ingredients and leave for 30 min (or overnight in the fridge).
2. Mix the cornflour and baking powder and toss the wings in it until evenly and thinly coated. Shake off the excess.
3. Heat 5 cm of oil in a deep pan to 170°C (340°F). Fry the wings in batches for 8–10 min, until pale golden and cooked through (75°C / 165°F). Drain on a rack. Then raise the oil to 190°C (375°F) and fry them again for 2–3 minutes, until deep golden and very crisp.
4. For the glaze, fry the garlic in 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until golden. Scoop out half for garnish. Add the fish sauce, sugar and water and bubble for 2–3 minutes, until it thickens into a syrup that coats a spoon.
5. Turn off the heat, stir in the lime juice and chillies, then add the wings and toss until every piece is glossy. Pile onto a plate, scatter with the saved garlic and coriander and eat while crisp.

Tips

• The second, hotter fry is what keeps the wings crisp under the glaze, so don’t skip it.
• Baking powder is usually gluten-free, but check the label.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Wok and Kin Marion's Kitchen RecipeTin Eats