Chicken Wings and Potatoes Braised in Ginger and Soy

My kids are quite picky when it comes to food. If we eat out, they would choose to eat either KFC, McDonald's or fish and chips. If I asked them what they would like me to cook for dinner, Zach would always opt for rice with chicken and broccoli, which I would usually cook with some potatoes and hard-boiled eggs in a sweet and sticky soy-based sauce. I saw a recipe for something quite similar in a Japanese cookbook, the name of which is "Tebasaki To Sato-Imo", meaning Chicken Wings and Potatoes Braised in Ginger and Soy. Instead of using thick caramel often used in Chinese cooking, tamari is used to provide colour to the dish. Sake is also used in place of Chinese cooking wine

The kids loved this simple yet tasty dish and kept coming back for more chicken wings. I reduced the sauce during the last few minutes of cooking to intensify the flavours and give the wings a glossy brown coating. The considerable amount of gelatin in chicken wings also add to the sticky and syrupy consistency of the sauce. This dish is originally made with sato-imo, also known as taro potatoes, which have a delicious creamy texture when cooked. However you can substitute with baby potatoes instead. This is a terrific one dish meal that is easy to prepare with only a few ingredients, and definitely kid-friendly!

Chicken Wings and Potatoes Braised in Ginger and Soy
Tebasaki To Sato-Imo
Adapted from Authentic Recipes from Japan by Kosaki and Wagner

Ingredients

500g (1 lb) chicken wings
3 tbsp sake
2 tsp oil
2 cm (3/4 inch) ginger, sliced
3-5 spring onions / scallions, cut into sections
400g (14 oz) baby potatoes or sato-imo potatoes, peeled
3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
2-3 tsp dark soy sauce or tamari soy sauce
2-3 tsp sugar
Black pepper to taste (optional)
12 snow peas

Method

1. Marinate chicken wings in sake for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry wings until lightly browned. Add ginger, spring onions and about 1 cup water (or just enough to cover the wings). Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add potatoes, soy sauce and sugar. Stir and simmer, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. If there is still a lot of liquid in the pan, let it simmer uncovered until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Blanch snow peas in lightly salted water and set aside.
4. Discard the ginger and spring onions. Dish out chicken wings and potatoes into a serving bowl and serve warm with snow peas on the side. Easy and delicious with steamed rice.