Red Fermented (Nam Yu) Beancurd Fried Chicken Wings (红腐乳炸鸡翅)

There are certain dishes that stop you mid-bite, the kind that make you pause and wonder why you haven’t been cooking it this way all along. That was exactly my reaction in a bustling Hong Kong cha chaan teng, eyes wide, fingers slick, mouth watering,  completely taken by a plate of red fermented nam yu fried chicken wings sprinkled with a bit of crushed toasted garlic.

My kids felt it too, eyeing the last wing on our very first Hong Kong breakfast table and quietly hoping for more. We considered ordering another round, but I held back, promising I’d make this one home to our own kitchen.

I’ve made my way through the usual suspects over the years, salt and pepper, five spice, Taiwanese popcorn-style. But this one felt different. It wasn’t just the crisp skin or the juicy interior. It was that unmistakable depth from nam yu, a fermented red bean curd that brings a salty, slightly sweet, almost funky umami backbone, layered with aromatics that cling to the meat.

And then there’s that colour! That deep auburn marinade transforms in the fryer into something luminous, a glowing golden-red that feels almost lacquered onto the wings, and the slightly funky aroma when frying is heavenly too. A well-seasoned marinade, time to let it soak in, and a hot fry that locks everything into a crisp, flavour-packed crust- simply, it can't go wrong!

This version is my own take, shaped by that unforgettable Hong Kong moment, but also by years of chasing the perfect fried wing. It leans into bold fermentation, balanced seasoning, and that irresistible contrast of crunch and juiciness. I've made them three times already, just here for us and also for my kids' hungry friends... to wide eyes and mouthwatering delight! YUMMERS 🤤!

Red Fermented Beancurd Fried Chicken Wings (红腐乳炸鸡翅) (adapted by Huang Kitchen)

Makes 48 split chicken wings

24 whole chicken wings, split into drumettes and wings with tips, or 48 split pieces
4 red fermented beancurd, nam yu
2 fermented beancurd, fu yu
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
3 tsp. chinese cooking wine
1/4" ginger, sliced and cut into thick slivers
3 green onions, cut into 1-1/2" pieces
1/2 cup cornstarch or potato starch
3 cups neutral cooking oil for frying

Using a fork or crab pick, prick small holes all over the chicken wings. Place in a big bowl.

In a small bowl, add both fermented beancurds. Flatten with a fork and mix until a smooth paste is formed.

Fermented tofu, known as fu yu and nam yu in Cantonese (I call them mini flavour bombs 💣), is a bold, salty seasoning often compared to “Chinese cheese” for its pungent aroma and rich, funky depth. They're made from soybeans and fermented in brine, giving it a smooth, creamy texture. Fu yu is off-white and milder, while nam yu has a reddish hue from red rice wine and a slightly deeper flavour, sometimes accented with bits of dried chili.

Marinate the chicken wings with the beancurd paste. Then add salt, sugar, white pepper, chicken bouillon, soy sauce and cooking wine; Toss well. Lastly add in the green onions and ginger. Thoroughly mix the seasonings and chicken wings by hand. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for at least three hours or ideally overnight.

When you are ready to cook, remove all onions and ginger from the marinated chicken wings. Add cornstarch/potato starch in the bowl of chicken wings. Using your hand (gloved), combine to evenly mix (the wings will be wet and sticky). 

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high. Insert a wooden chopstick or bamboo stick in the centre; the oil is ready when small dense bubbles shoots up its sides. Cook in several batches. Carefully add the chicken wings one at a time into the hot oil top side down to evenly cook. Notes: Do not overcrowd or pile them together. This will prevent the chicken wings from sticking together. 

OMG, look at that colour right?... no filter!

Turn the heat to medium and use chopsticks to stir the chicken wings to prevent them from sticking together. Halfway through frying, flip the chicken wings over. Continue frying for another 7-8 minutes until the chicken wings have a crispy skin and a bright red colour. Remove onto paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Repeat until done.

Serve with toasted garlic pieces on top and/or hot sauce sauce as sriracha at the table. Enjoy hot!

These wings are a reminder of how one ingredient can completely shift a familiar dish into something extraordinary. Nam yue doesn’t just season the chicken, it transforms it, adding complexity, colour, and a depth that lingers long after the last wing is gone.

However you land, this is one of those recipes that earns a permanent spot in the rotation. Exciting and comforting all at the same time, and it'll always be your winner to entertain with friends over!

Delectably crispy, juicy with a distinct umami kick! Gorgeous!

Full Recipe:

Red Fermented Beancurd Fried Chicken Wings (红腐乳炸鸡翅) (adapted by Huang Kitchen)

Makes 48 split chicken wings

24 whole chicken wings, split into drumettes and wings with tips, or ~50 split pieces
4 red fermented beancurd, nam yu
2 fermented beancurd, fu yu

1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tsp. chicken bouillon

3 Tbsp. light soy sauce

3 tsp. chinese cooking wine

1/4" ginger, sliced and cut into thick slivers
3 green onions, cut into 1-1/2" pieces

1/2 cup cornstarch or potato starch 

3 cups neutral cooking oil for frying

Using a fork or crab pick, prick small holes all over the chicken wings. Place in a big bowl.

In a small bowl, add both fermented beancurds. Flatten with a fork and mix until a smooth paste is formed.

Marinate the chicken wings with the beancurd paste. Then add salt, sugar, white pepper, chicken bouillon, soy sauce and cooking wine; Toss well. Lastly add in the green onions and ginger. Thoroughly mix the seasonings and chicken wings by hand. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for at least three hours or ideally overnight.

When you are ready to cook, remove all onions and ginger from the marinated chicken wings.
Add cornstarch/potato starch in the bowl of chicken wings. Using your hand (gloved), combine to evenly mix (the wings will be wet and sticky). 

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high. Insert a wooden chopstick or bamboo stick in the centre; the oil is ready when small dense bubbles shoots up its sides. Cook in several batches. Carefully add the chicken wings one at a time into the hot oil top side down to evenly cook. Notes: Do not overcrowd or pile them together. This will prevent the chicken wings from sticking together. 

Turn the heat to medium and use chopsticks to stir the chicken wings to prevent them from sticking together. Halfway through frying, flip the chicken wings over. Continue frying for another 7-8 minutes until the chicken wings have a crispy skin and a bright red colour. Remove onto paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Repeat until done.

Serve with toasted garlic pieces and/or hot sauce sauce as sriracha at the table. Enjoy hot!

Shenzhen Eats: Heritage Flavours, Future City

Our first foray into China was a dream come true 🇨🇳💗... finally I made it to my motherland mid-life and being able to bring my sons was beyond surreal and unforgettable! In Shenzhen, a city that moves at lightning speed, food becomes a place to pause. Centuries-old techniques unfold against a skyline pulsing with innovation, and every meal feels like a dialogue between past and future. On every level, Shenzhen delivered 👊💥.

From the theatrical precision of Peking duck, the experience begins in the details. Carved tableside, it's texture, technique, and timing coming together in a single, fascinating moment.

Enjoying with my favourite Chinese green tea 🍵

That first crackle of shattering duck skin wrapped in a soft pancake… pure texture, pure joy. Crisp, succulent, and layered with just the right balance of condiments- sweet, savoury, and fruity (melon strips). The reason my cousin living in HK, takes the metro over with friends, just for. Feeling privileged I got to experience it with her and my boys 🥰.

And dim sum, with over an hour queue proves why they are a local favourite. Gorgeous traditional ambience, affable warm service with table-side tea pouring and steaming bamboo baskets reveal treasure after treasure. Succulent, delicious and truly memorable 🤤!  

Each bite is restrained, intentional, and deeply rooted in craft.

And just when you think you’ve experienced the full spectrum, Shenzhen shifts gears. One of our most memorable meals in Asia was an all-you-can-eat live seafood buffet popular in Futian, where abundance meets interactivity 😍. Think rows of tanks and trays filled with clams, snails, crawfish, crabs, oysters, shrimp 🐚🐌🦞🦀 and even prized abalone, ready to be DIY scooped and steamed table-side. 

At around $50 CAD per person (no tax, no tips), it feels almost unreal for the quality and variety, a true celebration of freshness and value, and undeniably, delicious in the most satisfying way.

So many variety of clams and snails.

Stir-fry and sushi stations hum alongside open grills, while two full fridges offer an endless rotation of cold teas, sodas, and fruit drinks.

 

Choose between boiling or steaming tableside.

And then, as if the city insists on one more moment of awe, the night closes with the Shenzhen Light Show at Civic Centre in Futian CBD. Over 1.18 million LED lights ripple across 43 skyscrapers in a synchronized, music-driven display that lasts just 15 minutes, yet lingers far longer. A perfect reflection of Shenzhen itself: vibrant, precise, and impossible to forget 谢谢深圳 😘 Just incred!!!

Maybe my most noteable experience this trip... and by fluke! An early morning solo stroll to find a replacement luggage for the one we carried over- literally, with a broken handle for a timely media-crowd performance in front of a robotics shop 🤖.

I mean, this is Shenzhen. Not long ago, farmland.

Now? Robots that dance like humans.

A city that transformed in just a few decades from rural beginnings into China’s tech powerhouse.

The future isn’t coming… it’s already here.

Click to watch this robot dance

So fluid, human-like, so unrobot like what we're use to- think Robocop. Also, pet robot dogs are a thing. I encountered one on a HK bus, the "dog" was placed in a corner and when the owner was ready to get off he scooped it under his arm and activated it when placed on the sidewalk. World, are we ready!!? 

Indian Chicken Masala

 

There are meals that linger long after the plates are cleared, not because they were extravagant, but because they struck something deeper. This Indian chicken masala was one of those. It came to us unexpectedly in Hong Kong, tucked inside my cousin's membership at a bustling recreation club dining hall after my boys had a morning to burn off energy in the outdoor courts by themselves with basketball and soccer. They specialize in Chinese, Indian and Malaysian cuisines 🇭🇰🇨🇳🇮🇳🇲🇾

Having had this dish last year there, I knew my boys would love it- a different non-creamy, not-too-saucy profile from the butter chicken dish their dad often make weeknights at home. Tender chicken bathed in a deeply spiced, velvety semi-gravy, with warm garlic roti on the side to scoop up every last bit. For my boys, it became the standout dish of the trip- one they'll recount when asked "what was one of your favourite eats in HK?" Then for me, it became a challenge I couldn’t resist replicating at home. 

Chicken masala, garlic roti and deep fried silken tofu 😋

Chicken masala, in its many forms, sits at the heart of Indian cooking. The word “masala” simply means a blend of spices, but it carries far more nuance than that. Each region, each household even, builds its own signature combination, layering aromatics like ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes with spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. What results is not a single fixed dish, but a spectrum of flavours, ranging from bright and tangy to rich and deeply comforting. Versions like butter chicken and chicken tikka masala have travelled far beyond India, evolving along the way, but at its core, chicken masala remains a celebration of balance, warmth, and depth and one I'll be making again and again.

Indian Chicken Masala

Serves 6

2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless, cut into bite size pieces

Marinade:

1 tsp. red chili powder (kashmiri or hot paprika) 

1 ½ tsp. garam masala (or chicken masala) 

1 tsp. turmeric

1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste 

½ tsp. salt or to taste

4 Tbsp. plain yogurt, optional

Gravy:

4 Tbsp. neutral cooking oil 

2 small bay leaf 

4 green cardamoms (optional) 

2 inch cinnamon piece or 1/4 tsp. ground 

4 to 8 cloves

2 small onions, finely chopped 

2 to 4 green chilies, to taste, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp. ginger garlic paste 

1 cup tomato puree (or deseeded fresh tomatoes and finely chopped)

1 tsp. salt, to taste

1 tsp. garam masalam, to taste

lime wedges and chopped cilantro, to serve

Basmati rice (Recipetineats)

Roti, fresh or frozen, cooked according to package directions

Place chicken to a large mixing bowl; add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, yogurt (if using) and garam masala. Cover and refrigerate one hour or overnight. 

Heat oil in a large pan or skillet. Carefully add the whole spices- cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and bay leaf; cook for 30 seconds to release aroma.  Add onions and green chilies. Saute them on a medium high heat for 5 mins. Then reduce the heat and saute for a few more mins. until the onions turn golden.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute, then pour the tomato puree. Add salt and garam masala; saute until the mixture begins to smell aromatic and release some oil, about 2 to 3 mins. 

Add marinated chicken and saute for 5 mins. Turn the flame to completely low and cook covered for 5 mins. You can add cilantro at this point, then cover the pan again and continue to cook on a low heat until chicken is completely cooked to soft and tender. 

For a semi-dry chicken masala, you don't need to add water as the chicken gets cooked in its own moisture. To make it with gravy, add a little hot water or cream during the last few mins. Cook until the gravy turns thick and chicken is cooked through. 

Serve hot not only with basmati rice but also alongside pan-fried green onion pancakes, becoming a reflection of our own table, a little South Asia, a little East Asia, and entirely ours.

Make perfect basmati rice with Recipetineats

Quick Raita: Strain 1 cup full fat 3% plain yogurt for 1 hour through a coffee filter in the fridge, add 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 mini cucumber, diced and a smidgen of ground cumin. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy with lime wedges, cilantro, cucumber wedges and yogurt (such as raita) at the table.

What I love most about this dish is its generosity. It invites adaptation, encourages intuition, and rewards patience. It is equally at home in a restaurant dining room halfway across the world as it is in a busy family kitchen on a weeknight. And perhaps that’s the magic of it. A single dish, rooted in tradition, yet endlessly open to interpretation, capable of carrying a memory from one table to another, and turning it into something new.

Full Recipe:

Indian Chicken Masala

Serves 6

2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless, cut into bite size pieces

Marinade:

1 tsp. red chili powder (kashmiri or hot paprika) 

1 ½ tsp. garam masala (or chicken masala) 

1 tsp. turmeric

1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste 

½ tsp. salt or to taste

4 Tbsp. plain yogurt, optional

Gravy:

4 Tbsp. neutral cooking oil 

2 small bay leaf 

4 green cardamoms (optional) 

2 inch cinnamon piece or 1/4 tsp. ground 

4 to 8 cloves

2 small onions, finely chopped 

2 to 4 green chilies, to taste, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp. ginger garlic paste 

1 cup tomato puree (or deseeded fresh tomatoes and finely chopped)

1 tsp. salt, to taste

1 tsp. garam masalam, to taste

lime wedges and chopped cilantro, to serve

Basmati rice (recipe follows)

Roti, fresh or frozen, cooked according to package directions

Place chicken to a large mixing bowl; add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, yogurt (if using) and garam masala. Cover and refrigerate one hour or overnight. 

Heat oil in a large pan or skillet. Carefully add the whole spices- cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and bay leaf; cook for 30 seconds to release aroma.  Add onions and green chilies. Saute them on a medium high heat for 5 mins. Then reduce the heat and saute for a few more mins. until the onions turn golden. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute, then pour the tomato puree. Add salt and garam masala; saute until the mixture begins to smell aromatic and release some oil, about 2 to 3 mins. Add marinated chicken and saute for 5 mins. Turn the flame to completely low and cook covered for 5 mins. You can add cilantro at this point, then cover the pan again and continue to cook on a low heat until chicken is completely cooked to soft and tender. 

For a semi-dry chicken masala, you don't need to add water as the chicken gets cooked in its own moisture. To make it with gravy, add a little hot water or cream during the last few mins. Cook until the gravy turns thick and chicken is cooked through. 

Serve hot with rice or roti with lime wedges, cilantro and yogurt (such as raita) at the table.