Chicken Wings in Asian Master Sauce
Crispy, tasty finger food that's easy to make. Master Sauce sounds impressive, but actually is a very simple sauce that originates from Eastern China. Every family seems to have their own version, but classically the sauce contains Star Anise, ginger root and Szechuan pepper, along with the soy. This simmering sauce is used for chicken as well as pork, and often the braised meat is eaten just over rice. This version of the chicken wings adds an additional step of creating a glaze from part of the sauce. The sauce is brushed on to the cooked wings which are then "crisped" either under a broiler or on a grill. The sauce can be reused many times. Simple allow it to cool, strain out the solids (the star anise, ginger root, peppers), skim the fat from the top and freeze. In the past, in China, they simply used it very often and brought it to a boil to kill any bacteria, but I suggest freezing just to be on the safe side.
Ingredients
- 2 lb party style chicken wings (900g)
The Simmering Sauce
- 4 cup water (960ml)
- 1/2 cup light soy (120ml)
- 1/2 cup dark soy (120ml)
- 1/2 cup rice wine or dry sherry (120ml)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (50g)
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (50g)
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (40g)
- 1 tbsp Asian chili oil (20g)
- 5 Star Anise buds
- 5 thick slices of ginger root
- 2 tsp Szechwan Peppercorns (6g)
Glaze
- 1/4 cup of the simmering sauce
- 3 tbsp honey (80g)
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar (14g)
- 2 tsp minced ginger root ((10g)
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce (35g)
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (20g)
- chili oil to taste
Instructions
- Mix all of the Master sauce ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken wings. There should be enough sauce to cover the wings, if not, add equal amounts of water and soy to cover the top of the wings.
- Reduce to a simmer and allow the wings to simmer for 30 minutes. Leave the wings to cool in the pan. Once cool, cover the pan and place in the refrigertor at least 12 hours or preferably overnight.
- Several hours before the final preparation remove the wings from the sauce. Place the wings on a wire rack to allow the skin to dry. This helps the glazing sauce to adhere and the skin to crisp.
- When you are ready to "crisp" the wings, brush them with some of the glaze. If roasting in your oven, place them on a baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then turn them over, brush with a little more of the glaze and roast for another 10. If they don't appear very crisp, you can put them under your broiler for a minute or two. Just watch them, as the sugars in the glaze can quickly burn.
- If you are using our outdoor grill, you may want to use a grilling pad to keep the glaze from dripping down on to the flame, but it's not essential. Depending on how hot the grill is, you may want to cook on each side between 5 to 10 minutes, brushing with the glaze when turned. * Keep in mind, that the wings have cooked completely in the simmering sauce, and you are only crisping the skin and warming the inside meat, so there is no reason for cooking any longer than it takes the the skin to become crisp.
- When crisp, place the wings on a platter, sprinkle the top with chopped cilantro, and perhaps sesame seeds. Serve as finger-food, so damp napkins are appreciated!