Fish Sauce Wings

Inspired by PokPok - Portland, OR

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I never ate Thai food growing up. Thai is one of those cuisines I discovered in college where it was quickly added to my regular rotation. Fittingly, the Thai restaurant PokPok is the first michelin star winning restaurant I ever visited. They operate at a whole different level of flavor. As do their fried chicken wings, which are tossed in fish sauce and chili paste. I want them always. You will too.

Parts of this recipe were adapted from Andy Ricker’s recipe for “Ike’s Vietnamese Fish-Sauce Wings” at PokPok. I used to frequent their Brooklyn location which has since shut down. Their Portland location is still open and thriving.

INGREDIENTS

FISH SAUCE MARINADE :

  • 10 whole chicken wings (or 20 cut wings - about 3 lbs)

  • 6 large garlic cloves

  • ½ cup hot water

  • 1 cup fish sauce

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 TBS salt

THAI CHILE PASTE :

  • ¼ canola oil

  • 1 cup dried thai chilies

  • sesame oil

ADDITIONAL NEEDS:

  • 1 cup rice flour (or use all-purpose)

  • ½ cup all-purpose (in addition)

  • ½ cup corn or potato starch

  • Mint, cilantro, or thai basil (for serving)

GO FOR IT

FISH SAUCE MARINADE:

  1. Mince garlic with a little bit of salt and add to a bowl with ½ cup of hot water, then rest for a few minutes

  2. Pour mixture into a bowl through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth - squeezing as much flavor out of the garlic as possible before setting garlic aside

  3. To bowl with garlic water, add fish sauce, sugar, and salt, then mix together thoroughly

  4. Using HALF of the marinade - cover and marinade wings in refrigerator overnight, or no less than 4 hours - set aside remaining marinade for after frying

  5. Fry left over garlic in canola oil over high heat until it browns (5 minutes or less) - set aside for topping later

THAI CHILE PASTE:

  1. Fry chilies in oil over low to medium heat until very dark, but not black (about 10 minutes)

  2. Remove chilies and wait for oil to cool

  3. Using a pestle and mortar (or food processor) make a coarse paste.

  4. Add just enough oil to lighten up the consistency

  5. Drizzle just a LITTLE BIT of the sesame oil into the paste - set aside

FRYING WINGS:

  • When wings are done marinating, drain in a colander for several minutes

  • Meanwhile, mix rice flour, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch in a bowl

  • When wings are fully drained, pat dry with paper towel and then cover in flour mixture

  • Using at least 2 inches deep of oil in a frying pan, fry wings in oil at 350° adjusting heat as necessary - do not over crowd your frying pan (fry in batches if necessary)

  • Wings will take 6-8 minutes to cook. When done, transfer to paper towel to drain

FINISHING WINGS:

  • Mix in ½ cup water to remaining marinade

  • Using ½ cup of diluted marinade, bring to a boil in a large non-stick skillet or wok with 3-4 TBS of thai chile paste

  • At a simmer, wait until liquid reduced is by about half (should only take a couple minutes or less)

  • Toss wings in liquid until nicely coated (work in batches)

  • Transfer to plates and top with the fried garlic from earlier and finely chopped mint, cilantro, or thai basil

NOTES:

Thai food can be very intimidating to the home cook. I won’t pretend it’s not challenging but that’s only because I find it to be very much like Tex-Mex wherein they use big, bold flavors and ingredients that can get away from you if you’re not careful. But don’t fret! The rewards are greater than your fear.

If you can’t find a certain ingredient, there’s always a substitute. That’s why I suggest using all-purpose flour if you can’t find rice flour, or mint and cilantro if you can’t find thai basil. If you can’t find dried thai chilies for your paste then use a different chile. Or, don’t use the chile paste at all if you don’t like things too spicy (but I do find it brings a nice balance to the briny and bold sweetness from the fish sauce).

One thing I will warn you about is fish sauce. Fish sauce is delicious. It is the backbone of Thai cooking. But fish sauce can also be VERY overpowering. If you are intimidated, then scale back the fish sauce to a level that you are comfortable with (you can always add more at the end).