spicy korean chicken wings

Spicy Korean Chicken Wings. They're sweet, spicy and so, so delicious. They're different from the traditional hot wings in the sense that it's spicy but the spiciness doesn't completely overwhelm your taste buds so you can still taste the sweetness of the sauce.

You could go out to your nearest K-Town (Korea Town) and buy some Korean fried chicken (KFC) for about $20. Or...you could make a hugggeee stack for about $15. I'm almost confident we ended up with over a 100 wings.

The wings are first bathed in milk for 1.5 - 2 hours. The theory to this madness? It gets rid of that chicken/poultry smell and leaves you with an incredibly tender chicken. The wings are double fried before being covered in the sweet & spicy sauce to give it an extra crunch. Is the trouble of deep frying worth it you ask? Yes.

Spicy Korean Chicken Wings
Original, Serving Depends on # of Wings

Ingredients:
- chicken wings (obviously)
- enough milk to bathe the wings
- Tapioca starch, enough to dredge (corn starch can be substituted)

Sweet & Spicy Sauce: (enough to cover about 20 wings)
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 heaping tablespoon of gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper) (cayenne cannot be substituted... it's not the same)

- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons corn/glucose syrup
- pinch of sugar, or to taste

1) Take the chicken wings out of the package and rinse under cold water. Put the chicken wings in a big bowl and add enough milk to submerge the chicken. Leave for 1.5 - 2 hours turning the wings once during that time span.
2) Drain the chicken wings from the milk and return to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Get the oil in a deep fryer/wok heating up.
3) Dredge the chicken wings with tapioca starch until evenly coated. You can find tapioca starch in your Asian supermarkets or whole food stores.
4) When the oil is hot enough, fry the chicken wings in batches. About 3 - 5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain the fried chicken wings on paper towels.
5) Let the chicken wings rest for about 10 minutes. The wings shouldn't be greasy anymore and cooled. If not, rest for a bit longer. Deep fry the fried chicken wings again for another 2 - 4 minutes or until they take on a darker, gold color. (This makes the chicken wings really crispy but still moist inside. If you fry these right after the primary fry without drying, they'll just become soggy and disgusting)
6) Drain the chicken wings on paper towels and make the marinade. Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
7) Add chicken wings to the big bowl and pour the sauce over the wings. Coat the wings evenly and serve immediately on serving platter. Garnish with crushed, roasted peanuts and start the feast.