Prawn Paste Chicken (Har Jiong Kai)

My first taste of Har Jiong Kai was few months ago in Singapore.  At that very instant I really fell in love with this delicious and crunchy deep-fried chicken wings.  As I was figuring out this prawn paste recipe, it so happen that Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe posted her recipe on Food Bloggers and Foodies United.  Without wasting much time I went in search for this must-have ingredient, 'Lee Kum Kee Prawn Paste.'  I tried out both the baked version as well as the deep-fried...

Ingredients:

12 chicken wings

Marinade:

1 tbsp shaoxing wine

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp grounded white pepper

1 tbsp prawn paste
Cooking oil (to brush the chicken wings just before baking)

For coating: (mix together)

1/4 cup plain flour (sifted)

1/2 tsp baking powder (sifted)

1/4 tsp baking soda (sifted)

Methods:

1. Clean the chicken wings, cut into two portion (between the drumlets and mid-joint), add in the marinade ingredients, give it a good mix, put in an airtight container and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. Coat the chicken wings with the flour mixture.
3. Place the coated wings on a wire rack and leave it to dry in the fridge.  This makes the chicken more crispy with less moisture.
4. Brush the chicken wings with some oil, bake in the oven of 200 degree Celsius for 10 minutes.
5. Turn over and brush with some oil and continue baking until all the chicken have turn golden brown.
6. Serve immediately with chili sauce of your choice, but I prefer having them as it is as the flavor from the prawn paste is so yummy!

In my second attempt I try out the deep-frying method, and this is the outcome....

To obtain the original recipe click here