Korean roasted chicken wings (tong dak)

My fingers are sticking to the keys ever so slightly as I'm typing. I could barely lick my fingers clean before I ran over to my computer to share this out-of-this-freakin-world recipe with everyone. The sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy -- a blend of garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame, and red pepper paste for the kick. Yesterday, I went on a little ethnic market tour around Iowa City with some friends, so I tried to find some simple recipes before going and that's how I came across this recipe. It is from www.koreanfood.about.com. For anyone who likes Asian inspired foods and/or wings, these wings will blow your taste buds. 

1. First, make the marinade. In a medium bowl, combine:

• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ small onion, minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon red pepper paste (known as kochujang, which I found at a Korean market in town)

2. Place 2 lbs. of chicken wings and drumettes into the marinade. Mix the chicken to coat, and then place the bowl in the fridge for several hours. 

3. When the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400. 

4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the wings and drumettes to the pan and brown the chicken on all sides (about 2 minutes per side), reserving the rest of the marinade.

5. Transfer the chicken to a shallow baking dish and pour the reserved marinade over the chicken. Place the dish in the preheated oven. Roast for 40 minutes, turning the chicken to coat halfway through cooking. 

Serves 3. 

We made some spicy sweet potato fries on the side and the flavors went way too well together. So when (not if) you make these, I really suggest making some sweet potatoes too!