MONDAY
Oven~Baked Chicken Wings | Katsu Sauce | Jasmine Rice | Steamed Broccoli
“Sometimes we cook purely for the pleasure of it, understanding the provenance of our ingredients, choosing them with great care, thoughtfully taking them on the journey from shop to plate. We seek out the perfect recipe and take our time, lovingly preparing our dinner from scratch. There are times when we might want to take the whole business even more seriously, meeting those who produced it or, if we have the space, growing some of it for ourselves. We want to consider it, discuss it, perhaps even write about it and photograph it.
But sometimes, we just want to eat.
This little book is for those times. The days when we have barely an hour to cook. The times we just want something delicious on a plate at the end of our working day.” Nigel Slater, in his book, Eat: The Little Book Of Fast Food
As I mentioned yesterday, I just received, from the UK, my copy of Nigel Slater’s newest gem. And, with the long~standing ritual I have when it comes to newly received cookbooks, in which I randomly open the new volume {complete with beautifully fresh, crisp pages saturated with the scent of paper and fresh ink…each filled with the promise of yet~to~be~discovered feasts} to find the first recipe I will make from the newest member of my ever~growing collection, I thereby adopt the volume into “the family”. Neither the ingredient list nor the preparation method have ever deterred me from this tradition and, I must say, it has been the source of my acquisition of many random spices, as well as odd pieces of kitchen equipment, over the years. But, it has also kept me adventurous and has served as my secret weapon in raising three children who are game to try any food you put in front of them. There is so much culinary inspiration “out there” … no one should have to experience “meal monotony”.
When I opened the book…
Chicken Wings with Katsu Sauce presented itself to me…what exactly “Katsu” sauce was I had no idea. The most brief amount of research produced this information which seemed a distant cry from the Indian~inspired {garam masala, curry powder} recipe currently before me. Nevertheless, I forged on with a few adaptations from the original recipe {mostly accommodating the number of people (4+) I was serving as opposed to (2) in the original recipe and slightly changing the cooking method}.
To begin, I placed 24 frozen, organic chicken wings on a baking sheet that was lightly coated with grape seed oil and cooked them in a 425°F oven for about an hour {turning them half~way through the cooking process} in order to get them nice and crisp…
While the wings baked to crispy perfection, the sauce ingredients {tomatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, hot chili pepper & ginger}…
And seasonings {garam masala, curry powder, liquid aminos/soy sauce, raw honey}…
Were processed into a base for a savory “gravy”…
The oven~baked chicken wings were then removed to the waiting sauce to sit {off the heat} until shortly before serving…
While the wings were resting in the sauce, I prepared the rice and steamed broccoli. Just before serving, the wings were removed to a heated skillet for a last crisping. The reserved sauce was served on the side, as a dip for the wings and/or a flavorful topping to the steamed rice…your choice!
- 24 chicken wings {fresh or frozen}
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled + coarsely chopped
- 2~inch piece of ginger, peeled + sliced into coins
- 6 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled
- 6 medium~sized carrots, peeled + coarsely chopped
- 2 pints, cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red, hot chile {I used a Fresno chile} stemmed, seeded + coarsely chopped
- 6 tablespoons, runny, raw honey
- 6 tablespoons, liquid aminos {or soy sauce}
- 4 tablespoons garam masala
- 4 tablespoons mild curry powder
- 2 cups, chicken stock {preferably homemade}
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the wings on a lightly oiled baking sheet and season, generously, with salt & pepper. Cook in the oven for 1 hour, turning the wings half~way through cooking so as to evenly brown.
- While the wings cook, prepare the gravy. In a food processor combine the onion, ginger, garlic, carrots, tomatoes and red chile. Process to finely chopped {you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor}. Remove the chopped ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the honey, liquid aminos {or soy sauce}, garam masala and curry powder to the contents of the mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium~high heat and then cook the vegetable mixture until the liquid has been reduced by half...about 10~15 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and the wings from the oven {when done}. Add the wings to the sauce in the pot and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large, non~stick skillet, with the olive oil, until the oil shimmers and then remove the chicken wings from the pot and place them into the heated skillet. Fry until browned {1-2 minutes} and then remove from the heat.
- Serve the wings with sticky rice, steamed broccoli, and a bit of the sauce on the side.
- The final sauce can be used as a dip for the wings and/or as a topping for the rice. ENJOY!
A new recipe, an incredible dish, a fast family favorite…sweet, spicy, Indian~flavored and exotic. A definite “must add” to your next dinner menu!
