This is an article written for a food event I registered for OSU Global Food and Culture Celebration.
Ingredients
- Chicken wings. If you are a vegetarian, use hard tofu.
- Fish sauce. If you are a vegetarian, use vegetarian fish sauce, or soy sauce.
- Oil
- Spices: garlic, sugar, salt, pepper
Instructions
- Separate the drumettes from the chicken wings, so when you marinate the wings, it is easier for the marinate to penetrate and easier to fry.
- Marinate with some salt, pepper, a touch of fish sauce for 20 minutes.
- Preheat a pan. Then add some oil, enough to half cover the wings.
- Put the wings in to fry for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Another way is to bake/airfry the wings.
- In a bowl, mix 1:1 a mixture of fish sauce and sugar. You can adjust to see how salty, sweet you want the sauce to be.
- Remove oil from pan and leave just a bit to fry garlic. After the garlic is fragrant, add the fish sauce mixture and stir until it is thickened. Then put the wings in and stir them a bit, let them coat in the sweet, savory sauce.
- Dish up. And enjoy with some rice or bread.
History
It's not certain when this dish first appeared. It's been around since my generation.
Cultural Significance
- Although simple, cánh gà chiên nước mắm is both an everyday dish and a celebratory food. Families serve it at home for casual meals, but it’s also common at parties, weddings, and gatherings, since fried chicken wings are perfect for sharing.
- Among Vietnamese communities, this dish has become a favorite way to introduce others to Vietnamese flavors. It’s approachable (everyone loves fried chicken) but distinct because of the deep, savory-sweet fish sauce glaze.