Just add cold beer and serviettes: Karen Martini’s chicken wings are the perfect five-setter snack

Name: Just add cold beer and serviettes: Karen Martini’s chicken wings are the perfect five-setter snack
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4 - 6
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1kg chicken wings, tips attached; 2½tsp salt flakes; 1½ tsp ground white pepper; 350ml cooking sake; 1 litre oil, for frying; 1 cup potato starch; *; 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Karen Martini

January 11, 2024

The Japanese spice blend includes red chilli, sansho pepper, nori and citrus peel. Willima Meppem

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4 - 6

This is my kind of at-home Australian Open spectator food: perfect for keeping spirits up during those five-set blockbusters. The shichimi togarashi (a spice blend that contains red chilli, sansho pepper, nori and citrus peel, among other ingredients) seasons the wings with gentle spice and umami depth, while the chicken is very moist once you bite through the crisp and crunchy exterior. Just add cold beer and plenty of serviettes!

Ingredients

1kg chicken wings, tips attached
2½tsp salt flakes
1½ tsp ground white pepper
350ml cooking sake
1 litre oil, for frying
1 cup potato starch
shichimi togarashi*
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

Step 1
Run your knife along the bone on the inside of the wings to make an incision, then lay the wings out flat. Season all over with salt and pepper, then transfer to a bowl. Add the sake and marinate for at least 40 minutes or, ideally, refrigerate overnight.
Step 2
When ready to cook, drain the chicken and dry well with paper towels.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a saucepan or deep frypan over medium-high heat until about 170C. (Use a deep-fryer, if you have one.)
Step 4
Coat the chicken in the potato starch, shaking off any excess before lowering into the hot oil. Do this in batches of four. Cook for 5-6 minutes until golden-brown, flipping to cook evenly. Drain on a rack very briefly before serving. Sprinkle with togarashi and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

* Available from major supermarkets.