Asian fried chicken has taken the world by storm. This book has some of the best recipes

“My editors sent requests: ‘More fried chicken recipes, please,’ but how many could I publish each month without being repetitious?” Jung writes in the introduction to the cookbook. “However, as I talked to friends living in East and Southeast Asia and they reminisced about the fried chicken dishes they knew and loved, I began to realize that there are a vast number of dishes I could write about.”

And so, Jung, who’s traveled all over the world, started collecting fried-chicken recipes from East and Southeast Asia, amassing about 60. From the Philippines she got three recipes from two of our finest chefs, Margarita Forés and Jordy Navarra, and for me, their contributions are already worth the price of the cookbook.

Jung’s own love for fried chicken began when she was young, growing up in her parents’ home in Monterey, California (her family immigrated to the United States from the village of Kow Kong in southern China). “My mother made fried chicken wings that my brothers and I loved so much we would ask for them on our birthdays, or on the rare occasions she asked us what we wanted for dinner,” she writes. 

Jung includes this family recipe in her book, “Mom’s Wings,” and I had to try it. The result was pure, crispy comfort food, full of umami courtesy of soy sauce, ginger and garlic. It really felt like I was eating the best home-cooked chicken wings a Chinese family could offer, and put me in mind of the fried chicken my mother’s family makes at their Plaza Canteen in Imus, Cavite. This Imus chicken has its own secret marinade, but the level of comfort, crunch and umami closely parallel Jung’s mom’s wings.

The food authority, who’s been the Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau Academy Chair for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2014—and tested every fried chicken recipe she’s come across—happens to love Jollibee Chickenjoy (again, who doesn’t?), and asked chef Margarita Forés if she had the recipe for it. While Forés didn’t have the exact formula, she gave Jung her closest approximation, “Margarita Forés’ Fried Chicken with Gravy.” I don’t know if Gaita reverse-engineered Jollibee’s recipe, but my gosh, her version may be even better than the original. Involving brining, double coating, and double frying, the drumsticks yield to the bite with an undeniable crunch, and the flesh beneath is incredibly juicy and tasty, just like Jollibee’s. Forés even provides a recipe for gravy just like the OG.

Meanwhile, another top Pinoy chef, Jordy Navarra, contributed a dish inspired by two Filipino institutions that became iconic for their fried chicken: Max’s and Classic Savory. “I’ll admit to being skeptical about this recipe when chef Jordy Navarra sent it to me—it looked too easy,” says Jung. “I should have had more faith in him, though.”

Unfortunately I didn’t have time to test Navarra’s recipe before this article went to print, but I’m sure it’ll blow my socks off, just like Gaita’s did.

Kung Pao & Beyond also offers fried-chicken recipes from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, etc., including street-food favorites from those countries (Taiwanese Night Market Chicken, anyone?)

Ever since Korea sparked a craze for their fried chicken, the phenomenon surrounding Asian fried chicken has only grown, with foodie celebrities like Padma Lakshmi joining the chorus praising Jollibee Chickenjoy. Kung Pao & Beyond lets the world know that, yes, East and Southeast Asians certainly know their way around fried chicken, and each culture’s special spices, coatings and techniques produce magic once that chicken hits the oil.

Chicken Poppers with instant noodle coating

Author Susan Jung came up with the idea for this dish after listening to two friends talk about instant noodles—a subject dear to her stomach. She wondered how instant noodles would work as a coating for fried chicken, and fortunately had a packet of Nongshim Shin Ramyun in her cupboard. (Important tip: seek out Korean instant noodles “because they taste so much better than the ones made elsewhere. It was one of the easiest fried chicken dishes I’ve made, and the noodles fried up spicy and crunchy. You can vary the flavor by using other types of instant noodles, but make sure the seasoning packet is a dry mix, not a paste. Also, use only the seasoning powder, not any oil or dehydrated vegetables that may come in the packet.

This fried chicken goes very well with soju or beer.

Ingredients:

• 450 g (1 lb) boneless chicken thighs
• Coarse salt crystals, as necessary
• 2-4 packets of instant noodles, depending on size
• About 60 g potato, sweet potato or tapioca flour
• 2-3 eggs
• 750 ml (3 1/4 cups) cooking oil

Procedure:

Butterfly the chicken thighs, cut them into 2.5-cm (1-inch) chunks and put them in a bowl. Weigh the chicken, then multiply the amount by 0.005—this is the amount of salt you need. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken, mix well, then set aside for at least 10 minutes.

Put the noodles with the contents of the dry seasoning pack in a food processor. Process until the noodles are about the size of rice grains.

Put the flour in a shallow dish. Whisk the eggs in another shallow dish and put the instant noodles in a third dish. Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour and shake off the excess, then dip in the egg. Dredge in the instant noodles, pressing firmly so they adhere. Lay the chicken on a cooling rack placed over a tray.

Pour the cooking oil into a pan, preferably a medium wok, set over medium heat. Fry the chicken in two batches at 160C (320F). Fry the pieces for 4 minutes then put them on the rack placed over the tray—there’s no need to fry again.

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Kung Pao & Beyond is available at Fully Booked stores and for preorder on the National Book Store website www.nationalbookstore.com .