Tebasaki /Japanese fried chicken

It's kinda slow quiet over here , right ?! The summer heat is to blame .

Hah ! 

Anyway , I'm making a dent on my to-do fried food list . I spotted this recipe from Lena  last year but never get around to it until now .

I think I'm getting addicted to this fried junk 

Tebasaki means fried wing tips and is quiet popular as a bar food in Japan , notably in Nagoya  . Usually serve in Izakaya or Japanese-style pub , these wings and some other appetizers are serve together with beer or sake .
  
Not only it is easy to make but very appetizing as well ! It's the coating that makes this fried chicken special . The simple glaze which consist of sake , mirin , vinegar and some other spices blended deliciously together , wonderful not only with chicken but some other meat , too .

I marinated the wings overnight , put them in a wire rack and let them sit inside the fridge for another 2 hours after patting them thoroughly with paper towels . According to Marc of No Recipes , the wings should be very dry before frying and then it should be double-fried to achieve that wonderful crispness . How to make the wings stay crisp a bit longer after it is coated with glaze ? The trick is to dunk the wings straight into the glaze as they come out from the hot oil but don't let them sit in the glaze for too long least it'll go soggy .

I'm thinking of trying the Korean chicken wings , let's see if it'll top this Japanese version . 

Spotted at Lena's , original recipe from No Recipes

600 grams chicken wings 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
generous 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

For the glaze :

2 tablespoons light brown sugar , packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon sake 
2 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon ginger juice
1 clove garlic , grated
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon potato starch

* Rinse and pat dry chicken wings with paper towels . Place wings in a mixing bowl , add in the salt and pepper , mix well . Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight .  

* To make the glaze , in a shallow pan , combine the sugar , soy sauce , sake , mirin , ginger juice ,  garlic and chilli flakes . Cook over medium-high heat  and bring it to a rolling boil , stirring well until thickens , add in the vinegar , give it a good stir and transfer glaze to a heat-proof bowl that's big enough to hold the chicken wings , let cool completely . 

* About 20 minutes before cooking , take out chicken from the fridge , pat dry chicken wings thoroughly with paper towels and evenly sprinkle them with potato starch .

* Meanwhile , in a wok or in a heavy-bottomed pot , heat enough oil over medium heat , when oil is hot , add in the wings , in batches , cook for 10 minutes . Transfer to a plate and cook the remaining batch . Increase heat to high and fry wings , again in batches , until golden brown , 2 to 3 minutes . Once the first batch is cooked , place them into the bowl with the glaze and toss until well coated , don't let them sit in the glaze for too long . Transfer to a serving platter and continue to cook the remaining wings . Serve immediately .