For a full house at the weekend, canh ga nuong ngu vi is the easiest thing to please everyone with. It is good when the skin is golden and crisp and the five spice has reached the bone.
The difficulty is that the marinade catches and burns on the grill if the aromatics are left in coarse pieces. So the marinade is blended smooth before it goes on. It is used in two rounds: two thirds for a marinade of at least 1 hour, and the last third held back for brushing during grilling.
This batch weighs about 1kg, at roughly 188 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub 800g chicken wings lightly with vinegar or lime and a little coarse salt to clear any smell, wash them and drain.
Fry 2 stalks of lemongrass until fragrant, then add 1 shallot and 4 garlic cloves, followed by 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon five spice powder, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon chili sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend mixed with unsweetened oat milk at 47 parts blend to 53 parts oat milk, 1 tablespoon annatto oil and 2 teaspoons Korean chili powder, stirring until everything smells good, then add a splash of water.
Turn off the heat and blend it into a thick, smooth sauce.
Pat the wings dry, put on gloves and coat them all over with two thirds of the sauce, then leave them for at least 1 hour. With more time, wrap them and chill them overnight for a deeper flavor. Keep the last third of the sauce for brushing during grilling.
Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees C. Lay the wings on a tray and roast them for 20 to 25 minutes.
Take them out, brush on the sauce and roast for 6 to 8 more minutes, then open the oven, turn them, brush on the rest of the sauce and give them 5 final minutes to crisp and color.
Tips
Blend or pound the garlic, shallot and lemongrass and take the juice for the marinade, since coarse pieces catch and burn on the grill.
Holding back a third of the sauce for brushing is what gives the wings their glossy finish.
Honey is still a sugar, so keep the amount measured.
Score the thick part of each wing a few times, so the meat near the bone is done by the time the surface turns golden.
Oat milk thins the sauce, so chill it for 15 minutes to thicken before it goes on the chicken.
An overnight rest in the fridge makes the meat taste noticeably deeper.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.