Bandit Chicken Wings 土匪雞翼

Name: Bandit Chicken Wings 土匪雞翼
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 6 Chicken Wings 雞中翼; 2 tbsp Black Sesame Seeds 黑芝麻; 3 tsp Cumin Powder 孜然粉; 1/2 tsp Five-Spice Powder 五香粉; 1/4 tsp Salt 鹽; 1 tsp Sugar 糖; 2 tsp Shaoxing Wine 紹酒; 2 tsp Light Soy Sauce 生抽; 2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce 老抽; 1 tsp Sesame Oil 麻油; 1/2 tsp Pepper Powder 胡椒粉

Sumter Kitchen February 13, 2024

Servings: 2

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Golden oven-baked chicken wings with bold cumin flavour and a fragrant black sesame coating. 焗到金黃嘅土匪雞翼，孜然香氣濃郁，配上粒粒黑芝麻，香口惹味。

Introduction 簡介

Bandit Chicken Wings may be a familiar name in Hong Kong, but it is not a Hong Kong or Cantonese dish. Its roots are generally associated with Hunan and the region’s boldly seasoned style of cooking.¹ One popular story says that bandits once stole herbs and spices from the villages they raided, then used everything they had gathered to roast chicken. The cumin was supposedly so fragrant that people could smell it from miles away and knew the bandits were nearby. It is a wonderfully vivid explanation for the name, although it is probably better enjoyed as folklore than taken as documented history.²

土匪雞翼對香港人嚟講可能好熟悉，但佢並唔係香港菜，亦唔係廣東菜。一般認為，呢道菜同湖南一帶香濃惹味嘅飲食文化有關。¹有一個關於土匪雞翼呢個名嘅民間傳說係：以前湖南有班土匪四處打家劫舍，連村民屋企嘅香草同香料都唔放過，之後仲將搶返嚟嘅香料用嚟烤雞。據說孜然香濃得幾里外都聞得到，附近嘅人一聞到呢陣香味，就知道有土匪出沒。²

Whatever its precise origin, the reason Bandit Chicken Wings feels so familiar to many Hong Kong people has a great deal to do with TamJai SamGor. Originally from Hunan, SamGor brought the flavours of his home region to Hong Kong and spent six months developing his Bandit Chicken Wings.¹ The dish later became one of the restaurant’s most famous sides. Many people order a plate alongside their mixian; over time, Bandit Chicken Wings and TamJai mixian have become an almost inseparable pairing.

無論個名真正點樣嚟，對好多香港人而言，土匪雞翼之所以咁熟悉，好大程度都係因為譚仔三哥。原籍湖南嘅三哥將家鄉風味帶到香港，仲花咗半年時間研發佢嘅土匪雞翼。¹後來呢道雞翼成為餐廳最出名嘅小食之一，好多人去食米線，都會順便叫一碟；久而久之，土匪雞翼同譚仔米線幾乎變成分唔開嘅配搭。

Although the dish did not originate in Hong Kong, it has nevertheless found a place in Hong Kong’s everyday food memory. For me, it brings back the familiar experience of going to TamJai for mixian and ordering a plate of wings on the side. There is no TamJai in Sydney to visit whenever the craving appears, but fortunately this is a very easy dish to make at home from time to time.

雖然土匪雞翼唔係源自香港，但佢早已成為唔少香港人日常飲食記憶嘅一部分。對我嚟講，佢會令人諗起以前去譚仔食米線，順便叫碟雞翼嘅熟悉感覺。悉尼冇譚仔，想食嘅時候冇辦法隨時去叫一碟；好彩呢道菜喺屋企並唔難做，間中想念呢種味道，就可以自己焗一盤。

The character of these wings comes from the combination of cumin and black sesame. Cumin gives them their deep, warm aroma, while the sesame seeds add a gentle roasted nuttiness and their distinctive speckled appearance. Together with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and five-spice powder, they create that bold, savoury flavour associated with the restaurant favourite. This version is baked rather than fried, so after giving the wings enough time to absorb the marinade, the oven does most of the remaining work—a simple way to bring a very familiar taste into my Sydney kitchen.

土匪雞翼嘅招牌風味，主要來自孜然同黑芝麻呢個經典配搭。孜然香氣濃郁，黑芝麻經過烘焗之後亦會散發出淡淡焦香。一粒粒黑芝麻黏喺雞翼表面，亦造就咗土匪雞翼一眼就認得出嘅獨特賣相。再配合生抽、老抽、紹酒同五香粉，就會有嗰種令人熟悉嘅香濃惹味。呢個版本用焗爐，唔需要油炸；俾足時間雞翼吸收醃料之後，大部分功夫都可以交俾焗爐。做法簡單，但足以將記憶中熟悉嘅味道，帶返入我喺悉尼嘅廚房。

References 參考資料

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