WINGING IT, WITH DARK SOY & HONEY.

It's all about the dark soy. And the honey. And the chicken wings.

Dark soy is the most counter-intuitive thing in your kitchen cupboard. Compared to light soy, it’s deep, dark, mysterious and syrupy – so you’d expect it to be stronger and saltier, right? Any normal person would.

Nope, sorry. Dark soy has its own thick, caramelly charms, but light soy (what we think of as normal soy sauce) is saltier, with more of a savoury, almost meaty flavour.

So, yes, you could conceivably live without a bottle of dark soy in the house, but only until you wanted soy and honey chicken wings for dinner.

Only dark soy, mixed with light, will give you that lovely, burnished, lacquered skin that makes you want to pick up that wing and rip into it with your teeth.

Use only light soy, and your wings will be lightly tanned. Not ideal.

Use only dark soy, and your wings will burn. Not ideal.

Use both, and pour a glass of wine, because they won’t take long in the oven. Ideal.

(WING) TIPS:

• All soy sauces are made from fermented soybeans, but dark mushroom soy is flavoured with Asian straw mushrooms as well, for extra umami.

• Soy sauce adds a little oomph to any stews, casseroles, braises and marinades, not just Asian ones. A dash of dark soy in bolognese leaves no discernible soy flavour but takes the pantone colour deeper and richer.

• Five-spice is an aromatic blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. I sniff it like a junkie; it’s adorable. Mix a teaspoon of five-spice with half a teaspoon of fine salt and use as a seasoning or sprinkle.

• Sweet soy, or kecap manis, is an even darker, sweetly caramel soy – so thick it oozes from the bottle rather than pours. It’s great for ‘dirtying’ fried rice and simple stir-fries, but it’s too hectic for this recipe.

• Pile the marinade and wings into a ziplock bag for maximum marinating efficiency; otherwise turn the wings in the marinade every 10 minutes.

• Use the soy and honey mix for roasted carrots, eggplant, parsnip, broccoli.

DARK SOY AND HONEY CHICKEN WINGS

This marinade-turned-glaze started life many moons ago as my version of five-spice quail, a Chinatown favourite, before I forced it to segue more recently to chicken wings. Works a treat.

• 8 large chicken wings

• 2 tbsp good honey

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• Vegetable oil for baking

• Lemon for serving

Wash the chicken wings and pat dry.  Snip off the wing tips, and cut each wing into two at the joint.

Mix the honey, two soy sauces, five-spice, salt, pepper and sesame oil in a bowl, and toss the chicken wings to coat.

Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 220C.

Place the wings skin-side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and spray or drizzle with a little vegetable oil.

Bake for 20 minutes, then drain off the rendered fat and juices.

Lower the heat to 200C and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the meat is cooked and the skin is crip and browned - but keep an eye on them for browning too much underneath.

Serve with rice and lemon wedges. Feeds 2, 3 or 4, depending on the extras.

Note: the soy sauce in contact with the baking paper will probably burn. To avoid the flavour affecting the chicken (and to avoid the not-ideal outcome of smoke), replace the baking paper under the wings half way through.

# Serve with bak choy, choy sum, gai laan, or broccolini, and rice.

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Thanks for dropping by! And thanks to the lovely Feather & Bone for stocking Sommerlad heritage chicken wings; they’re the real deal. Special thanks to Terry for buying some beautiful soy sauce in Hong Kong from the Kowloon Soy Company; it’s a treat to use.

If you’re in HK, drop by – it’s one of the last traditional manufacturers, and has been at 9 Graham Street in Central since the 1960s.  Also beautiful: Yuan’s, and Pat Chun.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. And here’s to the continuing strength and resilience of First Nations people, their communities and cultures.