Nagoya-Style Fried Chicken Wings (Tebasaki)
- Makes4-6 servings
- Cook Time1 hour
Nagoya, in central Japan, is the epicenter of tebasaki, or Japanese fried chicken wings. Though Furaibo is credited for creating tebasaki back in the 1960s, our recipe attempts to re-create the wings offered at Maka Maka Honten. We slick them while piping hot with a sweet soy-based glaze before being sprinkled with a finely ground two-pepper seasoning mix. The flavors are sweet, salty, peppery and addictive. We double-fry our wings to ensure crispness. You may have leftover seasoning mix; it’s great sprinkled over almost anything—from roasted vegetables to grilled meats, seafood and stir-fry. Serve the wings with ice-cold beer.
Don’t mistake potato flour for potato starch. The two are not interchangeable. Potato flour is made by cooking, drying, then grinding whole potatoes. Potato starch—the correct ingredient here—is the starch extracted from potatoes.
Step 1
To make the glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the sake, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Bring to simmer over medium-high, stirring; cook until the alcohol has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside off heat.
Step 2
To prepare the seasoning mix and wings, in an electric spice grinder, combine both peppercorns, the sugar and 1½ teaspoons salt. Grind to a fine powder, about 20 seconds. Measure 1½ tablespoons of the mix into a small bowl, then whisk in the potato starch. Transfer the remaining mix to another small bowl; set aside for sprinkling onto the wings after frying.
Step 3
Add the oil to a large Dutch oven (it should reach a depth of about 1½ inches); heat over medium-high to 320°F. Meanwhile, place half the wings in a large bowl and sprinkle with half of the seasoned potato starch; toss lightly and evenly coated. Transfer the wings in a single layer to a rimmed baking sheet. Coat the remaining wings with the remaining starch in the same way, then transfer to the baking sheet. Set a wire rack in another rimmed baking sheet and place near the stovetop.
Step 4
When the oil has reached 320°F, carefully add one or two wings at a time until about half are in the pot. Cook, stirring and turning occasionally, until pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the wings as they are done to the prepared rack. Cook the remaining wings in the same way, then transfer to the rack with the first batch.
Step 5
Now heat the oil to 350°F. Return the first batch of wings to the pot. Fry, occasionally turning the wings, until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes; return them to the wire rack. Twice-fry the remaining wings in the same way, then return them to the rack.
Step 6
Remove and discard the garlic and ginger from the glaze. Brush/dab about half of the glaze onto the side of the wings facing up, then sprinkle liberally with some of the seasoning mix. Flip the wings, then brush with the remaining glaze and season the second sides. Serve with the remaining seasoning mix on the side.