Not all BBQ chicken wings are made equal. And to me, the BBQ chicken wings at Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wings & Spring Chicken are a cut above. Thanks to its decades-old marinade and chilli sauce recipes and grilling techniques, passed down through generations. And of course, with the current second-gen owner himself an outstanding pitmaster in his own right.
Barbeque is a skill and an art with a long history. In fact, it can be traced back to the time when we humans started to cook meat with fire some 1.8 million years ago. But even to this day, not everyone can perfect the art of fire manipulation to bring out the best flavours in different food ingredients, due to its complexity. Barbeque chicken wings are a case in point.
Ah Wei, the pitmaster at the helm of Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wings & Spring Chicken has had his fair share of hard knocks learning the ropes from his late father, Ah Hwee, through the years.
Today, the taciturn second-generation business owner has truly earned his wing and he's an outstanding pitmaster in his own right. In fact, I would say that he's successfully retained the traditional flavours of his stall's BBQ chicken wings all these years.
They taste consistently good as they were many years ago when I first became a customer. And at that time, his late father and himself would jointly man the barbeque pit and his mother would be busy taking and serving orders.
Playing with fire is an art
Above: Cooking food over a naked flame is far from just getting it cooked, but getting it perfectly charred with the right techniques to give it the right flavours and aromas.
Techniques are key in the art of barbeque. And right here at the stall, there's no professional barbeque grill with fancy knobs or a thermometer, or other contraptions — only the common barbeque rack and pit, the charcoal and fire, and the skewers. Everything else is a matter of technique and experience that are garnered through years of trials and errors. And in my opinion, Ah Wei has truly nailed the art of playing with fire.
Charcoal matters
Above: Big and small mangrove wood charcoal is used to give the BBQ chicken wings the best charred flavours and aromas.
It may not be intuitive to the layman that the type of charcoal that's used for barbeque actually makes a difference. At Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wings & Spring Chicken, mangrove wood charcoal is their choice charcoal, for a good reason: to impart the best charred flavours and aromas to their BBQ chicken wings.
Mangrove wood charcoal is hard and dense and it's traditionally used in barbeques locally, as it provides high heat combustion with fewer sparks and less smoke, and it burns consistently for a longer time, giving the BBQ chicken wings a delicious charred aroma, or"xiang" (delicious charred aromas in Chinese), as Ah Wei describes it.
He explains: "Lychee wood charcoal or other fruit wood charcoal out there in the market do not make good charcoal. They are mainly used as firewood."
A delish family recipe
Above left: A spritz of calamansi lime juice is the traditional way to start off eating the BBQ chicken wings, which are marinated in a mixture of 20 herbs and spices
Above right: A chilli sauce that's made with 10 ingredients
No one would guess that these humble BBQ chicken wings actually have to go through an overnight marination process in a marinade that's made with 20 herbs and spices — that's nine ingredients more than Colonel Sanders' recipe! LOL!
And it all shows up in the flavour profile of the BBQ chicken wings, as you take each bite.
Of course, what would BBQ chicken wings be without an excellent chilli sauce to go with? In fact, the chilli sauce is what I really enjoy eating besides the delicious chicken wings. With 10 ingredients in the sauce, it unleashes a complex range of delicious flavours the moment it touches my tongue, but yet, it remains so light on my palate. I could totally drink this like a beverage with some ice!
And these are family recipes that've been passed down through generations.
BBQ chicken wings worth savouring
Above: Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and the meat just comes off the bones so easily — the hallmarks of a perfect BBQ chicken wing
BBQ chicken wings at Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wings & Spring Chicken all share the same traits: crispy skin that has a perfect char on it; moist and tender meat on the inside; and the meat would easily come off the bones. And these are also the traits of a perfectly grilled BBQ chicken wing. Coupled with their signature chilli sauce, this is a match made in heaven!
At just $1.40 each, this is worth every single bite. Even under the hot weather! And if you should fancy a BBQ spring chicken, that's also available, but you'll have to call them in advance to make a reservation.
So, the next time you're at East Coast Park and feeling a craving for some barbeque food, other than satays, sink your teeth into some of these delicious BBQ chicken wings. It'll be worth the calories, I promise!
Locate it
Address:
Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wings & Spring Chicken
1220 East Coast Parkway
#01-14 East Coast Lagoon Food Village
Singapore 468960
Operating Hours:
Opens daily except Wednesdays,
3 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Call:
9837 5172
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