Add salt, white pepper, lime juice, light soy sauce and cornstarch. Toss thoroughly to coat each piece. Refrigerate to marinate for 20–30 minutes (or up to 2 hours).

When ready to cook, heat oil for shallow frying in a heavy skillet or prepare an oven/broiler if baking. For frying: preheat oil to medium-high (about 170–180°C / 340–355°F).

Nyonya Spice Paste (Rempah)

Prepare the ingredients: peel shallots and garlic, remove stems from fresh chilies and deseed dried chilies after soaking until soft. Trim and slice lemongrass (use only the tender white part). Chop galangal and candlenuts roughly.

Toast candlenuts lightly in a dry pan until fragrant (take care not to burn). Toast the shrimp paste over a dry pan for 15–30 seconds to reduce raw smell. If using dried chilies, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes then drain.

Blend or pound shallots, garlic, fresh chilies, soaked dried chilies, lemongrass, galangal, candlenuts, turmeric powder, toasted shrimp paste and palm sugar into a smooth paste. Add a little water (1–2 tbsp) to help blending if necessary.

Cook & Assemble

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wide skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the Nyonya spice paste and fry, stirring constantly, for 4–6 minutes until fragrant and the oil separates from the paste.

Stir in tamarind paste, coconut milk and water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes to blend flavors. Taste and season with fish sauce, soy sauce and more palm sugar if needed — the sauce should be balanced sweet, sour and savory.

If frying: Fry marinated wings in batches until crisp and cooked through, about 8–10 minutes per batch depending on size; drain on paper towels. If baking: place wings on a wire rack over a tray, brush lightly with oil and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25–30 minutes, turning halfway, until just cooked and crisp.

Add the cooked wings directly into the simmering Nyonya sauce. Toss to coat well and simmer together for 3–5 minutes so the wings absorb the sauce and the sauce thickens slightly. If sauce is too thin, increase heat and reduce for a couple of minutes, or mix 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water and stir in to thicken.

Transfer wings to a serving platter. Spoon remaining sauce over them. Garnish with toasted fennel or sesame seeds, chopped coriander and thin sliced red chili for color.