Appetizer: Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings

By SharonE

Pok Pok chicken wings. Warning, the sauce is a little salty. i go pretty easy on it. You could eliminate altogether but it is pretty tasty!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 2 minced
• 3 pounds chicken wings, split at the drumettes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint

Details

Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a bowl, whisk the fish sauce, sugar and crushed garlic. Add the wings and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 3 hours, tossing the wings occasionally.
Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet. Add the minced garlic; cook over moderate heat until golden, 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
In a large pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°. Pat the wings dry on paper towels; reserve the marinade. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add the wings and turn to coat. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a bowl.
In a small saucepan, simmer the marinade over moderately high heat until syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain over the wings and toss. Top with the cilantro, mint and fried garlic and serve.