Name: Chinese chicken wings
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 50g table salt; 25g caster sugar; 1 kg chicken wings, jointed and wing-tips discarded; vegetable oil, for confit and deep-drying; 100ml milk; 100g cornflour; to serve caviar, optional; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 thumb-sized pieces ginger, cut into 1cm cubes; 5 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tsp dark soy sauce; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 3 tbsp chicken stock; 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar; 90ml shaoxing rice wine; 2 tbsp soft brown sugar; 1 tbsp rapeseed oi; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tsp mixed with 1 tbsp water cornflour

Chicken wings with sansei sauce, Xu restaurant

50g table salt
25g caster sugar
1 kg chicken wings
jointed and wing-tips discarded
vegetable oil
for confit and deep-drying
100ml milk
100g cornflour
to serve caviar
optional

SANBEI SAUCE

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 thumb-sized pieces ginger
cut into 1cm cubes
5 cloves garlic
crushed
2 tsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp chicken stock
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
90ml shaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp rapeseed oi
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp mixed with 1 tbsp water cornflour

Method

step 1
Put the salt and sugar into a pan with 500ml of water and heat gently until both
are dissolved. Pour in 500ml of cold water and mix again. Cool, then add the chicken wings and leave overnight in the fridge.
step 2
Strain the chicken wings and pat dry really well with kitchen paper. Heat the oven to 110C/fan 90C/gas ¼.
step 3
Put the wings into a deep roasting tin and top up with enough vegetable oil to cover. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Leave to cool in the oil.
step 4
To make the sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a pan, crush the ginger cubes with the side of a knife and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Tip in the remaining sauce ingredients and cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
step 5
Strain the wings and dry with kitchen paper. Put the milk and cornflour in two bowls and dip the wings in the milk then the cornflour.
step 6
Fill a pan no more than ¹/3 full with vegetable oil and heat to 190C or until a cube of bread browns in 25 seconds. Fry in batches for 4-5 minutes until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve coated in the sanbei sauce, with caviar on top, if you like.