I’ve been thinking about bar snacks a lot lately. Not the dubious-looking bowl of mixed nuts kind, but the deep-fried and intensely flavorful kind that is best savored with a cold alcoholic drink while bumping elbows with complete strangers in a room the size of my closet. And because we’re stuck at home of course my mind is taking me as far as it can go… to Japan and its izakayas where sticky-sweet small plates are washed down with delicious sake.
If you’ve ever been to a yakitori restaurant, then you know the Japanese excel at turning every part of the chicken into its most flavorful expression and that includes the beloved chicken wings. For any lovers of Buffalo wings out there, you absolutely must try this Japanese take on the fried game snack. Often referred to as Nagoya-style Tebasaki (Tebasaki literally translates to “wingtips”), the dish is made by glazing crisp fried wings in a sweet and savory sauce made of sake, soy sauce, mirin and sugar. It’s finger-licking and I’ve even say plate-licking good!
This Japanese Chicken Wings recipe from Saveur starts with marinating the chicken wings for a few hours before coating them lightly in potato starch. The potato starch will give the sauce something to cling to without creating a breaded crust so you don’t want to skip this step.
For the sauce (the star of the show), you combine mirin, sake, soy sauce and turbinado sugar and reduce by half over medium heat. The result is a syrupy, molasses-like sweet and savory sauce which you’ll pour over your fried chicken wings, coating them generously!
Sprinkle some Sichuan Pepper (or ground sansho if you have it) for an extra kick and a marvelous fragrance and serve with a lemon wedge. Now it’s time to get your fingers and face sticky!
There’s so much flavor in this sauce, from the saltiness in the soy sauce to the sweetness in the mirin – it’s almost like a condensed version of teriyaki. The thickness of it is also absolutely marvelous and it gets into every nooks and crannies of these super crispy chicken wings. You’ll be licking the plate clean and perhaps finding the silver lining in being home alone to enjoy this gluttonous experience out of the public eye…
| Cook Time: | 15 min |
| Total Time: | 270 min |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Cuisine: | Japanese |
| Yield: | 4-6 |
2. Combine remaining mirin and sake, the soy sauce, and turbinado sugar in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat; cook until reduced by half, about 1 hour. Transfer sauce to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap; keep warm. Heat 2″ canola oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium until a deep-fry thermometer reads 320°. Toss wings with potato starch, shaking off excess; working in batches, fry wings until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer wings to paper towels to drain. Toss wings with reserved sauce; transfer to a platter and sprinkle with sansho. Serve with lemon wedges.
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. mirin
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sake
2 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. kosher salt
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6″) piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 cup soy sauce
1⁄2 cup turbinado sugar
Canola oil, for frying
3⁄4 cup potato starch
Ground sansho, for garnish (or Sichuan Pepper)
Lemon wedges, for serving
