Chicken Wings Mai Kai

Many of you have been to the Mai Kai, but surprisingly few of you have had the Chicken Wings Mai Kai. Which is sad because they are one of the best appetizers on the menu.... sweet, savory, sticky, yummy, and can help you take down an extra jet pilot or two.

I have begged and pleaded with the family at the Mai Kai to get the recipe, but they aren't giving.

I have proposed bottling the stuff for sale, but the hassles outweigh the benefits. Plus there is a whole other set of licenses and inspections and crap that go along with this idea that makes it too much like work.

So, what is a hungry boy to do?

Science!

I am going to use my questionable skills as a drinker to reverse engineer the recipe for the sauce.

Wings are cooking right now. Sauce is simmering away. More details soon.

Even if I fail, I am still having some yummy wings tonight. Maybe not Mai Kai yummy, but the journey is just as much fun as the destination.

I would be willing to offer my questionable talents too, but I'm a little too far away to check them out. So just pack up some of those wings on dry ice and ship them to me! :wink:

Your right they are great! I also wondered how they made them when i was there in June. But I was a Jet Pilot and Zombie into the evening and my focus wasn't as sharp as it could have been. I hope you figure it out!

so what do they taste like?

sweet? spicy hot? gingery?

Results of Mai Kai Wings Sauce Experiment - Version 1:

Yummy.

Got the sticky part right, but that is possibly due more to my generally messy kitchen skills.

Overall...Too sweet. Probably needs a lot less honey. Or a lot more savory and/or spicy to overcome the sweet.

I think I need considerably more ginger as well. Will try with a fresher ginger next version.

Note to self.... do a sniff-test to see if Chinese Five-Spice is close in aroma.

Experimental Kitchens closed until the coming weekend. Will report back on Version 2 during the weekend.

Five Spice is usually a mixture of Anise, Fennel, Cinnamon, Cloves & Peppercorns and has a decidedly licorice aroma.

On 2011-07-25 11:45, Tonga Tiki wrote:
Your right they are great! I also wondered how they made them when i was there in June. But I was a Jet Pilot and Zombie into the evening and my focus wasn't as sharp as it could have been. I hope you figure it out!

Everything tastes good after a Jet Pilot and a Zombie. Wings, legs, arms...

Hope you figure out the secret, Chip. You're right though, I've never had the wings. I'll have to rectify that next time. My image of chicken wings usually involves beer, a football game and ample-chested women. Maybe that's the hangup...

Never had the wings there either. Most bars that I've gotten wings at use frozen pre=breaded wings they get from a supplier.... and the sauce is usually just Tabasco, nothing to cut the vinegar in the sauce. So you end up with soggy breaded tobasco wings....ek. I just avoid wings at any establishment now. Next time at Mai Kai, I'll give them a go....

Not much help, but I make my own sauce at home.... one of the ingredients that I used that I like is some curry powder. Maybe they have some of that in it?

howlinowl

Keep in mind the peppercorn in 5-spice powder is usually SZECHUAN peppercorn. Also, you may want to take a gander over at Chow.com's "Chowhound" section; someone else may be equally enamored of these wings (y'never know) and those guys can deconstruct ANYTHING.

Just a thought...

Hi Chip, try duck sauce, I believe that is the honey like flavor you reference. Most old cantonese /hawaiian restaurants used duck sauce heavily. Very hard to find on left coast, easy on east coast, and still used everywhere on east coast in cantonese places. I have had the wings many times and this is my guess on one of the ingrediants. You can buy online if you cant find it in the stores. Last time I lived in Florida they sold it at publics in the jewish section....weird I know. The best brand is Dai-Day Duck Sauce, since I moved I buy online and use it on all BBQ from chicken to ribs.

ps, not to be confused with plum sauce, totally different

[ Edited by: Queen Kamehameha 2011-08-01 17:45 ]

So Chip.. How did the wings turn out?