Sichuan Inspired Hot Wings

Today I am presenting my version of hot wings.  This recipe is a Sichuan inspired dish in that I will be using chili bean paste or dou ban jiang.  Many Sichuan dishes contains dou ban jiang as a major ingredient and is considered the soul of Sichuan cooking.  

I am a big fan of hot wings and often make the standard buffalo wings with Louisiana hot sauce. Several months ago, I was in the mood for hot wings but did not have any Louisiana hot sauce to use. I did, however, have some dou ban jiang in the fridge (this is a staple sauce in my household ). Desperate for hot wings, I decided to replace the Louisana hot sauce with dou ban jiang and also used typical Asian ingredients for this new recipe.

The chicken wings were lightly coated with seasoned flour (flour and salt) and set aside to rest for at least half an hour.  This way the natural juices of the chicken combines with the seasoned flour to form a sticky coating that becomes crispy when fried.  I used honey and sugar to have add sweetness to compliment the spice and also to ensure the sauce would stick to the crispy skin.  Vinegar was added for a tangy flavor which also lends well to the sweetness. .

The result was delicious!  These wings are a balance of spice, sour, sweet, and salty.  In addition to the wings remaining crispy, the sauce was sticky and finger licking good!

Here is my Sichuan inspired hot wings and I hope that you enjoy these wings as much as I have!

Ingredients:

24 pcs chicken wings
Flour
Salt
2-3T Chili bean paste (you can add more or less depending on your tolerance)
3T Chinkiang vinegar
1T  Dark Soy Sauce
1 and 1/2 T Light Soy
2T Honey
4T sugar (you can adjust according to your taste)
1T Sesame seed oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 inch knob minced ginger
Cornstarch slurry (2T water + 1t cornstarch)
Toasted sesame seed for garnish
Oil for deep frying

Instructions:
1.  In a plastic bag, combine flour with salt (add salt according to your taste) and lightly flour wings.  Set aside on a plate for at least 1/2 hour.
2.  Pour oil in frying pan or deep fryer and heat to about 175C.
3.  Fry chicken till in hot oil till golden brown.  Set aside. (to have extra crispy, I recommend to double fry the chicken)
4.  In a wok, add 2T cooking oil and heat wok till it begins to lighlty smoke.
5.  Add garlic and stiry fry till it is fragrant.
6. Add Chili bean paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey.  Allow for sauce to cook for at least about a minute.
7.  Add water and cornstarch slurry to help thicken sauce.
8.  Stir in sesame seed oil and immediately add chicken wings to sauce.  Toss the wings till sauce coats the wings and immediatly serve on a plate.
9.  Garnish wings with toasted sesame seeds and serve hot.

Note:
1.  Always go with your personal taste and adjust measurements accordingly.
2.  I like to add dried chilies to my sauce to make the wings even spicier.
3.  Wings can be substituted with crispy pork or chicken breast strips.