Ginger Fizz Glazed Chicken Wings

You can cook with ginger fizz too. Reduce it down and it becomes a tangy, caramelised glaze that clings to wings, tofu or roasted vegetables in a glossy, sticky lacquer. It is one of our favourite ways to use up a bottle that has lost a little of its sparkle, the carbonation does not matter once it hits the pan, but all that real ginger flavour does.

Ingredients

• 500g chicken wings (or firm tofu cubes for a vegan version)
• 240ml GingerBros Ginger Fizz (raw or pasteurized, both reduce beautifully)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Optional: 1 tsp chili flakes or a spoon of gochujang
• Sesame seeds and sliced scallions for garnish

Instructions

• Pat the wings completely dry and season with salt, dry skin is the single biggest secret to crispiness, because surface moisture steams instead of browns.
• Simmer the ginger fizz, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic and any chilli in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half and syrupy, about 8–10 minutes. Stir often near the end so it does not scorch, sugar goes from glaze to burnt fast.
• Toss the wings in half the glaze and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25–30 minutes, turning once.
• Brush with the remaining glaze and broil/grill for 2–3 minutes until sticky and lacquered.
• Finish with sesame seeds and scallions.

The science of the glaze

This recipe is really a lesson in two kinds of browning. As the fizz reduces, its residual sugars concentrate and begin to caramelise, deepening in colour and flavour. Meanwhile, when the glaze hits the hot wings, the sugars and the proteins in the meat undergo the Maillard reaction, the same chemistry behind seared steak and toasted bread, producing hundreds of savoury, roasted aroma compounds. The soy sauce adds glutamate-rich umami (a product of its own fermentation), so you are really layering two fermented ingredients into one complex sauce.

Make it a meal

• Vegetarian, press firm tofu, cube it, and roast until golden before glazing; the glaze caramelises on the edges.
• Sheet-pan dinner, toss broccoli, carrots or cauliflower in a little glaze and roast alongside.
• Rice bowl, spoon extra reduced glaze over steamed rice with the wings and a handful of herbs.

Storage and reuse

The reduced glaze keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed jar. Brush it on grilled corn, stir it into a stir-fry, or use it as a dipping sauce. The live cultures cook off in the reduction, but the real ginger flavour stays intense and bright.

Make a double batch of glaze. You will find a use for it within days, it is that good.