Braised Chicken Wings with Pickled Plums

Here come more chicken wings again. Yes, again. You know we’re chicken wing lovers. What makes these wings taste wonderfully unique is the salty-sweet pickled plums. The savoury wings took up the mild tart taste of the plums, absorbed all the flavours of the tasty marinade. I didn’t use the wing tips, only cooked the middle and drumettes. Let the family enjoy every meaty bite of the wings. Mind you, this dish is quite addictive.

Braised Chicken Wings with Pickled Plums Recipe (Printable recipe)
By Christine's Recipes
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Yield: 3 to 4 serves

Ingredients:

• 970 gm chicken wings
• 4 to 5 pickled plums
• 1 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 Tbsp water
• sesame oil, to taste

Marinade:

• ½ Tbsp ground bean sauce
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
• pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp corn flour / corn starch
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 red chilli, chopped, optional
• spring onion, for garnish

Method:

1. Rinse the pickled plums. Wipe dry. Press with a teaspoon into a paste. Discard the pits. Set aside.
2. Blanch the wings in boiling water for about 3 minutes to remove the blood. Drain well.
3. Combine the plum paste with marinade. Add the wings and mix well. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
4. Remove the wings from the fridge. Rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Scrape the marinade off the wings. Keep the marinade for later use. Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat. Add the wings and pan fry until both sides are lightly brown. Push the wings to the sides of wok. Sauté shallot in the middle until aromatic. Pour in the water with marinade. Cook the wings, covered, until the sauce is thickened. Stir in sesame oil. Dish up. Sprinkle spring onion and red chilli if desired. Serve hot.

Notes：

• Pickled plums are available at Asian grocers.
• The ground bean sauce, made by fermented soy beans, helps to add a depth of flavour to the whole dish. If you don’t have any, just skip it. But I strongly recommend it to get the best results.