Clem's Spicy Air-Fried Wings
 

 

The air-fryer has infiltrated many a kitchen. Many home engineers find it an indispensible appliance (although some, like me, may find the use of non-stick coatings in them quite unacceptable).

Chicken wings are a popular snack food. In the US, Buffalo Wings are well-known (buffalos don't have wings - the name comes from the place). In Asia, various marinades create different chicken wing tastes. In my version, I chose belachan (shrimp paste) as the ingredient for an umami and spicy taste (the prepared paste has added chilli).

It is relatively easy to prepare this dish - you can do a quick cook using an air-fryer or deep (or shallow as appropriate to your circumstance) fry, or even BBQ them. 

Here's how:


INGREDIENTS

For one serving:

The marinade

  • Belachan paste; ready made or make it yourself.
    I used Singalong Sambal Belacan paste.



    Note that Indo-Malaysian spelling does not use "CH" but that the letter "C" has only one sounding - that of "CH" in English (there is no soft "C" sound in Indo-Malaysia speech). I choose to use "CH" (unless quoting) where I write in English.

    These are the ingredients of Singalong Sambal Belacan:
    Chilli; cooking oil; onion; sugar; salt; spices; dried prawn; permitted preservative (E202).
    Thus, the paste can be spicy to some.
     
  • Cornflour (starch); or potato or tapioca starch as available.
     
  • If a more spicy taste is desired - chilli powder and pepper.
     
  • Condiments - fish sauce; MSG
     

Chicken wings

These vary in size and so obtain as much as you would like for one feed.


 


METHOD
 

Prepare the wings
 

  • Clean the wings.
     
  • Remove the wing tips (or not as you prefer).
     
  • Separate the drumettes from the wingettes.
     
  • Add two table spoons (or more as required) of sambal belachan to the wing pieces.
    Ensure that there is enough belachan to fully coat all the wing pieces.
     
  • Add condiments to the wing pieces viz. salt or fish sauce, chilli powder and MSG (if used) to taste.
     
  • Add several tablespoons of cornflour and toss the pieces to evenly coat all of them.
    Ensure that you have enough cornflour to thinly coat each piece.
    Do not over starch as you will end up with a thick skin of batter after frying.
    What you want is a thin coating which will crisp up during frying.
     
  • Note that you do not need to add water at any stage of this marination.
     
  • Leave the pieces to marinate for at least an hour in a refrigerator.
    For those who are well-prepared, you can marinate overnight.
     

Air frying
 

  • Set your air-fryer to 220OC.
     
  • Air fry the pieces for 20-30 minutes, until they are well-browned.
     
  • Serve and enjoy.
    I placed mine on a bed of spinach and rocket.
    Shredded or whole leaf lettuce (Iceberg; Romaine) will also do nicely.

 

Clem's Spicy Air-Fried Chicken Wings

 

All my cooking (some without recipes) can be found here (click on each photo to go to that dish's page):

 

http://clemkuek.com/photoalbum/photo696.html

 

 

www.clemkuek.com

 

12 January 2025
 

 



Created by Clem Kuek