lager

In Chinese-American restaurants, spicy yellow mustard often appears on the table as a dipping sauce — but you rarely taste it anywhere else in the meal. Jonathan Wu, the chef at the innovative Chinese-influenced restaurant Fung Tu in New York, decided to take that flavor and run with it. The two kinds of mustard (along with cayenne) makes these almost as spicy as Buffalo wings, but the heat is balanced by sweetness. To make a prettier plate, sprinkle with whole cilantro leaves and minced scallions.

Spicy Chinese Mustard Chicken Wings

wings,

salt

sugar

ginger,

scallions, white and light green parts

garlic

Potato starch or all-purpose flour,

Peanut, canola or another neutral oil, for frying

canola oil

ginger

garlic clove,

scallions

Dijon mustard (not whole grain)

lager beer

brown sugar, more to taste

ketchup

sherry vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

mustard,

cayenne, more to taste

black pepper

Up to 1 day before cooking, bring about 1 1/2 quarts water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt, sugar, ginger, scallions and garlic. Stir to dissolve salt and sugar and set aside to cool to room temperature. Place wings in a container or a thick, sealable plastic bag. Add brine, seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24.

Make the sauce: In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. When it ripples, add ginger, garlic and scallions and cook until soft but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer about 30 minutes, until thick but still a bit runny. Turn off heat and let cool slightly. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more mustard powder, brown sugar and cayenne. Set aside or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Pour off brine, rinse chicken in cold water and drain well on paper towels. Spread a cup or so of starch in a shallow bowl. Heat the oven to 250 degrees and place a sheet pan inside. 

In a heavy, deep pot or wok, heat 3 to 4 inches oil to 350 degrees. Warm the sauce and transfer half to a large metal bowl.

Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, dredge wings in starch and shake off any excess. Gently drop into hot oil and fry until golden, crispy and floating in the oil, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. The skin will blister and crisp but will not get very brown.

When done, lift out wings with a slotted spoon, shaking to remove excess oil, and drop into sauce. Toss and shake until wings are well coated. Lift out and transfer to sheet pan in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining wings and sauce, adding more starch to the bowl as needed. Serve immediately.

This meaty beef chili recipe uses whole chiles for a complex flavor, boneless beef chuck for its fat content, and a touch of beer—because you're drinking some anyway. 

Beef Chili

ancho chiles

guajillo chiles

pasilla chiles

olive oil

beef chuck,

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

yellow onions, chopped

garlic cloves, finely chopped

cumin

oregano

tomatoes

dark brown sugar

apple cider vinegar

Toppings corn

It’s faster and easier to brown the meat in larger pieces first and chop them afterward. Using intact dried chiles instead of jarred powders contributes a more complex flavor and a saturated color. Adding lager imparts just the right amount of bitterness, rounding out the chiles. This is a part of our Super Bowl party menu—see the rest of the recipes here.

Bon Appétit

Remove seeds from ancho, guajillo, and pasilla chiles and place in a medium bowl. Pour in 3 cups boiling water and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap; let sit until chiles are softened, 20–25 minutes. Transfer chiles and soaking liquid to a blender and blend on high until smooth, about 1 minute; set aside.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Season beef all over with salt and pepper. Working in 2–3 batches, cook, turning pieces once, until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium; add onions and garlic to pot. Cook, stirring often to loosen browned bits from bottom of pot, until onions are translucent and very soft, 6–8 minutes. Add cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, until spices start to stick to pot, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and brown sugar and scrape bottom of pot to loosen spices, then add lager. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until beer is almost completely evaporated, 10–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut beef into ½" pieces, discarding any large bits of fat or gristle.

Add beef, reserved chile purée, and 2 cups water to pot; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, until liquid is thickened and meat is very tender, 1½–2 hours. Taste chili and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar. Divide chili among bowls and top as desired.

Do Ahead: Chili can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat gently over low, stirring occasionally, and adding a splash of water to loosen if needed.

Heston Blumenthal, the chef at the Fat Duck near London, updated classic British fish and chips in his book "In Search of Perfection" (Bloomsbury, 2006), using a batter that includes beer and vodka. The alcohol dissolves some of the gluten proteins in the wheat flour, so the crust doesn’t get tough and boils off faster than water, so the batter dries out, crisps and browns quickly, before the delicate fish inside overcooks. The coating ends up especially crunchy — with each bite, you crush many thin layers of crust.

Fried Fish With Vodka and Beer Batter

(about 4 large fillets) turbot, sole

Salt and black pepper

white rice flour,

vegetable oil,

all-purpose flour

baking powder

vodka

Rinse fish fillets, and dry with paper towels. Season well with salt and pepper, and dust with rice flour, shaking off any extra. Set aside.

Place a wide, deep pan over medium heat. Add oil to a depth of at least 1 1/2 inches, and bring to 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 cups rice flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly stir in the vodka and beer to make a batter. (Don’t make batter ahead of time, or the bubbles from the lager will be lost.)

Dip one fillet into batter to coat it completely, then lower into hot oil. Repeat with other fillets, working in batches if needed. When undersides of fillets are golden brown, after 1 or 2 minutes, turn, and brown other sides, a minute or two. Lift from oil, drain and serve.

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Top 3 lager recipes from across the web

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Spicy Chinese Mustard Chicken Wings

Beef Chili

Fried Fish With Vodka and Beer Batt...

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