Here is a recipe from my friend Cathy Erway, for fantastically delicious chicken wings. They are san bei ji wings, or three-cup chicken wings, the three referring to the trio of ingredients involved: fabulous: Soy Sauce; Toasted Sesame Oil, and Rice Wine. Fresh basil leaves go in as the dish finishes cooking in a wok, a deep skillet, or a large saucepan or dutch oven.
Recipe coming in a minute, but first: This is Cathy’s cookbook, The Food Of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island, which she shares on her Facebook page, along with lots of links to good interesting things to read and consider. The book was published in 2015 and is a treasure.
This chicken wing recipe is one to add to your list of go-to, can-do, any-day, easy-peasey, satisfying crowd-pleasing dishes that you can make an take to almost any event. A lunch, a dinner, a picnic, a covered dish supper; a party, a sports-viewing evening, a plan-ahead, a last-minute, a casual or a fancy shindig.
The recipe is on Cathy Erway’s excellent blog, ‘Not Eating Out in New York”. It is her inspired version of san bei ji, Three Cup Chicken, which she includes in her excellent and essential cookbook, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Here’s a peek at her Three Cup Chicken recipe as featured in the cookbook.
Cathy adapted it to work with chicken wings back in the winter, at a time when a certain super sporting event caused many of us to think of what we could fix and enjoy at home or easily take along to enjoy while watching said event at the home of lucky friends.
It being full on real-world summer where I live, and this being a long holiday weekend with plenty more occasions for eating and sharing food ahead, I thought of this recipe as worthy of sharing. Here is her blog post, including the recipe for Cathy Erway’s San Bei Ji Wings.
These cook quickly, so you won’t need to pass the time while they are simmering away. But once they are done, you will need to occupy yourself, to avoid burning your fingers trying to eat too many too hot too fast. Also, you were probaby planning to share the 2 pounds of chicken wings with others, perhaps? You need something to do!
So I suggest you tune in to Cathy’s podcast, her weekly radio show on Heritage Radio Network. It’s called Eat Your Words, and it is a delicious delight. I had the honor of being a guest a while back, and I loved talking with Cathy about food, cooking, restaurants, culture, ingredients, the works! — I think you’ll enjoy listening in. Check it out here:
And pick up some chicken wings, fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and rice wine (or dry sherry), so you can get some wings cooking. I found everything at my local supermarket, and at an Asian market you’ll have lots of choices for these ingredients. Get big bottles — I am betting you will make this more than one time.
Happy Summer, friends! Let me know what you’ve been cooking, and what your go-to recipe is for picnics and potlucks when it’s summertime.
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