Thai chicken wings (Peek gai tod)
This popular street food fried chicken has a delicious crispy skin that’s packed full of spice. The crunchy lime leaves add texture and fragrancy, making the wings distinctly Thai. This recipe comes from Woody Leela, group development chef for Thaikuhn (thaikuhn.co.uk)
- 2 large cloves garlicroughly chopped
- from a small bunch coriander rootsroughly chopped
- 2 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 40g self-raising flour
- 1kg chicken wingstips removed and discarded and cut in half at the joint
- 20g chicken seasoning powder(available from Thai supermarkets or online at essenceofthailand.com)
- sunflower or vegetable oilfor deep frying
- 15 lime leaves
- Thai chilli saucefor dipping
Method
step 1
Put the garlic, coriander roots, white pepper, and soy sauce in a large pestle and mortar and grind to a paste (alternatively you can whizz in a small food processor).
step 2
Toss the chicken wings in this paste, then add the chicken powder, self-raising flour and toss again. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes or overnight if you prefer.
step 3
Fill a wok 1/3 full with the oil and heat to 170C. Drop in the lime leaves and fry for a few seconds until they curl and crisp up (but still stay green). Scoop out with a slotted spoon.
step 4
Add the chicken wings in batches and fry for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your wings, until golden and cooked through. Serve with the lime leaves and chilli sauce.
