No-Water Braised Chicken Wings, Shrimp & Vegetables

No-Water Braised Chicken Wings, Shrimp & Vegetables

Ingredients

• 500 chicken mid-wings
• 200 large shrimp
• 400 root vegetables (potato, lotus root, carrot, etc.)
• 6 quail eggs (optional)
• 1 salt
• 1 black pepper
• 1 fine chili powder
• 1 cooking oil (for marinating vegetables)
• 2 scallion (white part)
• 3 ginger slices
• 1 cooking wine
• 1 soybean paste
• 1 sweet bean paste
• 1 ketchup
• 1 light soy sauce
• 0.5 oyster sauce
• 0.5 sugar
• 0.25 white pepper
• 3 water (for sauce)
• 1 cornstarch slurry
• 1 scallion (green part, for garnish)
• 1 bird's eye chili (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Prepare high-moisture root vegetables — potatoes, lotus root, carrots, or similar. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Toss the vegetables with a pinch of salt, black pepper, fine chili powder, and a drizzle of cooking oil. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Clean the chicken mid-wings and shrimp. Score the wings lightly. Marinate with scallion whites, ginger slices, cooking wine, salt, and black pepper for 30 minutes.
4. Prepare the sauce: mix 1 tbsp soybean paste, 1 tbsp sweet bean paste, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 0.5 tbsp oyster sauce, 0.5 tbsp sugar, 0.25 tsp white pepper, and 3 tbsp water. Stir until smooth.
5. Heat a little oil in a pan and stir-fry the sauce until fragrant, then pour in the cornstarch slurry to thicken.
6. Cook until the sauce becomes glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Set aside.
7. Use a non-stick pan or rice cooker — no oil, no water needed. Spread the marinated root vegetables evenly across the bottom.
8. Arrange the marinated chicken wings on top of the vegetables. Shrimp cooks faster, so add it later.
9. Cover and braise over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. If using a rice cooker, run the cook cycle for 15 minutes.
10. After 15 minutes, add the shrimp (and quail eggs or other quick-cooking additions). Spread the thickened sauce evenly over the top.
11. Use a brush or spoon to spread the sauce evenly over everything.
12. Cover again and braise over medium-low heat for another 15 minutes.
13. Time's up! Garnish with chopped scallion greens and sliced bird's eye chili. Done!