Steamed Chili Lemongrass Chicken Wings (鮮辣椒檸檬葉蒸鷄翼, Sin1 Laat6 Ziu1 Ning4 Mung4 Jip6 Zing1 Gai1 Jik6)

This recipe was updated on 23 May 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Here’s another easy to make steamed chicken wing dish. The previous dish, Steamed Chicken Wings with Dried Lily Flowers (金針蒸鷄翼, Gam¹ Zam¹ Zing¹ Gai¹ Jik⁶), used lily flowers as a topping. This recipe is spicier, and uses Sichuan Gao Fu Ji brand fresh chili sauce (any brand chili sauce can be used) and lemongrass for a topping. Lemongrass adds another flavor to this spicy dish and can be purchased at your local Asian market. You peel the tough outer layers of the lemongrass, cut and discard the green portions, thinly slice the tender white parts before combining with the chili sauce, and then top the chicken wings with the mixture before steaming.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 lb.	1 kg.	Chicken wings (雞翼, gai1 jik6), cut into individual pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 stalks	2 stalks	Lemongrass (檸檬葉, ning4 mung4 jip6), peeled and tender white portions cut into thin pieces
1-2 Tbs.	15-30 ml.	Sichuan Gao Fu Ji brand chili sauce (鮮辣椒, sin1 laat6 ziu1) or equivalent

 

Equipment

12 in.	30 cm.	Steamer (or larger)
9 in.	23 cm.	Plate or bowl for steaming
		Plate lifter

 

Sichuan Gao Fu Ji Brand Chili Sauce
(鮮辣椒, sin1 laat6 ziu1)

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken wings into individual pieces. You can purchase individual chicken wing midjoint or drumette pieces at Asian markets in place of using whole wings - in this case I used chicken wing drumettes. Marinate the chicken in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the chicken overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Remove the tough outer layers of the lemongrass and then cut away any green parts, leaving the tender white portion. Cut the white portion of the lemongrass into thin pieces, put them into a small bowl with the Sichuan Gao Fu Ji brand chili sauce or equivalent, and mix the ingredients together. Any brand of chili sauce can be used and the amount depends upon personal preference (i.e. how spicy you want the dish to be), so feel free to increase or decrease the amount used.
3. Place the chicken wings into the steaming bowl and then place the lemongrass and chili mixture on top of the chicken wings.
4. Fill the steamer with water and bring to a vigorous boil over high heat. Put the plate with the chicken into the steamer and cook over high heat for 5 minutes before reducing the heat to simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the plate from the steamer with a plate lifter, and serve with steamed rice.