If there is a silver lining to a pandemic that keeps you cooped up indoors and away from most of the people and things that tend to give your everyday life meaning, it’s that it provides some big-time perspective REAL FAST.
I feel as though I’m faring better than many. I’m a natural introvert and I like spending time on my own, and at home. I live with my best friend, and I don’t think I’ll take that for granted again. Going through this alone would be really, really tough. I have space of my own outdoors, so I can get a “sweatsuit tan” at noon if I feel like it, and I have felt like it often.
One of the things I miss most is wearing shoes that aren’t slippers. But even more than that, I miss my friends. I hope that what sticks after this experience is the desire to see my people as often as possible. I hope I can remember how lonely life is without your tribe to share it with. I hope I can let go of some of the perfectionist tendencies that can get in the way of casual entertaining and just have my friends over as much as I possibly can.
I have two dining tables, one indoors and one out, for a reason, and I’ve promised myself to use them more often. I can’t wait to fry a zillion chicken wings, put them on a platter and serve them to 10 of my favorites.
Ingredients
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 1/2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and very finely grated
- 1/4 cup gochujang chili paste
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru red pepper powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1/4 cup potato flour
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour (sometimes called "sweet rice flour")
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 10 chicken wings (3-3 1/2 lbs.), wing tips removed and wings cut in two through the joint
- 1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, halved lengthwise and sliced into very thin 2-inch lengths and soaked in cold water until they curl up
- 3 1/4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until it begins to bubble. Turn the heat down a little and cook, stirring frequently, for about 6-8 minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy. Take care not to burn. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a deep-medium-size pan, with at least 2 inches between the surface of the oil, and the rim of the pot. Place over medium-high heat and, using a deep-fat or candy thermometer to guide you, bring the oil to 300 degrees F. Alternatively, use a deep-fat fryer.
- Meanwhile, place the ingredients for the flour mix in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the chicken to the flour mix, coating every part evenly. When the oil has reached 300 degrees F, add the chicken in batches and cook for 12 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels while you increase the temperature of the oil to 365 degrees F. Return the chicken to the oil and fry for a further 6 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain once again.
- Gently reheat the sauce, then add it to the chicken in a bowl, and gently toss to completely coat it. Serve in a mound with the sesame seeds and drained green onions scattered over the top.
Notes
From Our Korean Kitchen
