Old-School Fried Chicken Wings (Original Flavor)

Bundle a few toothpicks together with a rubber band. Use the bundled toothpicks to pierce the skin of each chicken wing about 10 times. This helps the marinade penetrate faster.

Place the pierced chicken wings in a bowl and add enough water to cover them. Soak for 5-10 minutes to draw out blood. Drain the water and gently squeeze excess water from the chicken wings. Pat them thoroughly dry with kitchen paper towels.

Prepare the aromatics: Place the ginger in a mortar and pound it until it's well-shredded. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the mortar and pound until they are slightly broken and fragrant. Do not pound them too finely.

Season the dried chicken wings with salt and black pepper.

Squeeze the juice from the pounded ginger and garlic onto the seasoned chicken wings. Then, add the remaining pounded ginger and garlic solids to the chicken. Mix everything thoroughly by hand to ensure the chicken is well-coated.

Cover the bowl and let the chicken wings marinate at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

After marinating, drizzle a small amount of cooking oil over the chicken wings and mix gently.

Line a heat-proof plate with parchment paper. Arrange the chicken wings on the plate in a single layer. Spread the pounded ginger and garlic from the marinade evenly over the chicken wings.

Prepare a steamer with boiling water. Place the plate of chicken wings into the steamer. Steam on high heat for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Carefully remove the steamed chicken wings from the steamer and let them cool down. Once cooled, transfer the chicken wings to a clean plate, discarding the cooked ginger and garlic bits.

Heat cooking oil in a flat-bottomed pan over high heat until it reaches about 60% hot (test by inserting a wooden toothpick; if bubbles form around it, the oil is ready).

Carefully place the steamed chicken wings into the hot oil, skin-side down. Be cautious as the oil may splatter initially due to residual moisture.

Fry the chicken wings on high heat, flipping them occasionally, until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides.

Once cooked, remove the fried chicken wings from the oil and place them on a serving plate. Serve immediately and enjoy the original, nostalgic flavor.