Look at these amazingly juicy and fat belacan chicken wings… This is a recipe straight from the streets of Malaysia! Belacan is a fermented sticky shrimp paste… Love it or hate it. I am addicted to that pungent stuff!
Do you like belacan?
Have you ever heard of belacan to start with?
I ordered these belacan chicken wings in a restaurant in Singapore a couple of months back. Which clearly upset the lady who owned the restaurant. She said that not one single traveler had ever liked her belacan chicken before: “Ayam goreng belacan not for tourist”, she said.
So she suggested I choose another dish.
But I insisted on trying it anyway and eventually she gave in.
Singapore
So we were sitting at a wobbly plastic table outside in the shade and ordered a few other things to munch on. And then, THE moment. The lady comes out of the tiny kitchen with a plate of golden fried belacan chicken wings.
Followed by that sharp fishy smell.
I didn’t hesitate though.
I sank my teeth in one of the juicy fried belacan chicken wings as soon as I could touch them without burning my fingers. And I just kept on devouring the whole plate of wings.
You should have seen the lady’s face light up.
Easy Belacan Chicken Wings
She was so relieved to hear that I loved it!
All the time she stood outside watching me from a distance. Probably afraid and waiting for the moment when I wouldpush the whole lot aside and ask my money back.
Not.
Pity I was so full after the first plate, I could have ordered a second portion of these belacan chicken wings. What an amazing flavor!
It might be hard to believe but I honestly adore belacan. My husband is not impressed, turns out he is not a fan of that smelly stuff after all.
I love it with clams as well, that I have to try next time! The jar of belacan is far from empty after making wings.
What is belacan?
Belacan is a tacky shrimp paste.
And it is a very popular ingredient in Malaysian and Nyonya cuisine. I love it so much that I even brought back a jar of the pungent paste. But believe me, it tastes much better than it smells!
So how many entire chicken wings can you eat for dinner?
I find pretty thick and fatty whole wings at my local supermarket. They look small but boy, there is so much meat on those bones! So after munching and gnawing my way through my wing dinner I always throw in the towel after 5 or 6.
Nyonya
Do you love intriguing flavors and unusual combos?
Then you should also try this Malaysian dish: Nynonya fried eggs belanda in a sweet and sour sauce! Finger licking good.
Enjoy!
Easy Belacan Chicken Wings Recipe
Amazing belacan chicken wings, a recipe from Malaysia! Belacan is a fermented sticky shrimp paste... I'm addicted to that stuff!
- 8 chicken wings
- 3 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca flour
- 2 tbsp shrimp paste
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp tamarind juice
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp hot chili sauce
- olive oil
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In a large baking dish or mixing bowl combine the shrimp paste, lime juice, tamarind juice, brown sugar, hot chili sauce and the fish sauce.
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Stir well into a sticky marinade. Then add the chicken wings.
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With a soft brush or with your hands start rubbing the marinade all over the chicken wings. Make sure they are entirely coated.
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Then cover the chicken wings and the dish or bowl with a piece of cling film and place it in the fridge for an hour to marinate so all the lovely flavors can develop. Then remove the chicken wings from the fridge again, get rid of the cling film and sprinkle the wings with the corn starch or tapioca flour.
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Rub the chicken wings all over with the starch or flour. This will add extra crunch to them while grilling. Then place the chicken wings neatly on a large baking tray. Sprinkle lightly with some olive oil.
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Grill the marinated chicken wings under a hot grill for 30 minutes. Halfway through cooking time turn the wings over and grill them on their uncooked side. In the end the wings will look golden brown, crunchy on the outside and cooked through on the inside. Then remove the wings from the grill and place them on a large serving tray. Serve hot with extra chili sauce.
What is a good substitute for belacan?
Here are some options.
- Fish sauce: Fish sauce is an intensely salty sauce made from fermented seafood. It has a similar flavor profile to belacan and can be used as a substitute in a 1:1 ratio.
- Anchovies: Anchovies provide a similar salty and fishy flavor to food. You can blend the fish into a paste with a little water to make it a suitable consistency for the recipe.
- Bonito flakes: Bonito flakes are small pieces of dried bonito or skipjack tuna. They are mildly fishy with an intensely savory taste. Although they have less pungency than belacan, they would be fine added to stocks and casseroles or sprinkled over noodles.
Belacan is a fermented shrimp paste that is widely used in Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine. If you don’t have belacan, there are several substitutes that you can use in your recipe.
When substituting belacan with any of the above ingredients, you want to be sure to replace the belacan measure for measure to keep the flavor profile of your recipe the same.