wonder

Passport & Plate - Chicken wings in sour-sweet sauce

Russian Federation | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Chicken wings
Adjika (is Caucasian hot, spicy but subtly flavoured dip, based on red hot papper)
Honey
Salt, black paper

 

How to prepare this recipe
1) Wash chicken wings and leave them to dry
2) In a deep dish adjika and honey are mixed in equal proportions (for 20 wings – 8 spoons of adjika and 8 of honey)
3) Wings are rubbed with salt and pepper and then dip them in sauce
4) Heat oven to 250 degrees
5) Put paper on oven pan. Put wings on this paper. The remaining sauce is poured on top of the wings.
6) Keep in the oven 200 degrees for half an hour before the formation of crust.

 

The story behind this recipe
Story of this recipe started in Urals, Russia. I had crazy childhood – 5 days a week I went to normal school and 6 to ballet. That’s why from the beginning of summer holidays I was sent to Bashkiria, my uncle’s village. For my rehabilitation different things were used and my aunt Rose created a lot of ways to feed almost absent body. We spoke about food for hours. Once I heard something strange – sour-sweet sauce. I asked to explain me how food can be sweet and sour at the same time. Next day the answer was prepared for me. There were chicken wings in sour-sweet souse on the table. My genius aunt made sauce from assistant things – adjika which everybody has in Russian houses and honey which we had a lot because my uncle is a beekeeper. As for wings… it was a hint that one day I will dance Swan Queen. Sense of humor in our family can be sold with honey.
After years I didn’t dance Swan Queen because of trauma. I entered to University and for writing my research work I went to Ireland for three months. In the end of this scholarship I decided to celebrate Hanukkah with my friends who came to Dublin for the same program. And what did I need to cook? It was first thought – chicken wings – simple for cooking and 100% tasty. It was an imposing evening – we just were together far away from our homeland. And everybody loves my wings. After coming back to Russia I started to cook it for my family and friends on different holidays and parties. One friend of mine who tries to be a vegetarian eats these chicken wings tens. And this joke was born – it was parts of animals that they can live he eats.
This dish traveled from Urals till Ireland, was in Mexico and Israel, connected two different parts of my life. It was made how explanation to poor child that sour and sweet at the same time – it’s tasty. It was made for seeing smile on lovely face. It was made special for me and now I share this piece of me, my life, my story and my love with persons I love and care.