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Zingy fried chicken
Serves 6-8 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 1.5kg chicken wings, cut at joints and wing tips discarded
- 250ml coconut milk
- juice of ½ lemon
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 300g plain flour
- 1tbsp cayenne pepper
- wedge of lime
For the nyonya curry paste
- 1tbsp coriander seeds
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 1tsp fennel seeds
- 2 cloves
- 80g French shallots, peeled
- 2 large red chillies
- 1cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled (or 1tsp ground turmeric)
- 1tbsp sugar
- ½tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2tsp salt
Method
To make the nyonya curry paste, toast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds and cloves in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat until fragrant, then use a mortar and pestle to grind them into a powder. Put the ground spices with the remaining curry paste ingredients into a food processor and blend everything together into a paste.
Put the chicken wings, coconut milk, lemon juice and curry paste into a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to massage the mixture into the chicken wings to make sure they are well coated. Cover with clingfilm and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight.
Pour the vegetable oil into a medium saucepan until about one-third full, then heat the oil to 180°C/350°F over medium-high heat. Test to see if the oil is hot enough by dipping a wooden chopstick in the oil — if the oil starts steadily bubbling around the chopstick, it’s ready.
Combine the flour and cayenne pepper in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Dust the chicken pieces with the flour mixture, then shake off any excess and place on a tray.
Working in batches of 4 or 5 pieces, deep-fry the chicken wings for 5 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towel. Allow the temperature of the oil to come back up to 180°C/350°F, then deep-fry the chicken for a second time until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel, then transfer to a serving plate. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over the chicken before serving.
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