Pok Pok Wings (Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings)
Published Jun 24, 2012
Updated Sep 13, 2024
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Pok Pok wings are Vietnamese fish sauce wings by Andy Ricker's Pok Pok restaurant. Easy Pok Pok Wings that you can make at home: tasty and addictive.
Pok Pok—the pounding sounds that a pestle made against a mortar during the making of Som Tam (Thai green papaya salad)—is a rising restaurant empire in the United States.
A humble start in Portland, Oregon, Pok Pok has expanded to New York City, the culinary capital of the United States.
Recently, renowned food writer Francis Lam wrote a fascinating piece on the New York Times and described Andy Ricker’s arrival to New York as “…the Beatles were about to touch down at Kennedy.”
Pok Pok wings are legendary and much celebrated in the foodie world; in fact, it’s the single commodity that has pretty much launched the growing empire of Pok Pok.
I have never been to the original Pok Pok, nor have I been to the newly opened Pok Pok New York.
But I have long wanted to taste these famous wings.
My friend Brian L, a Portand resident and mega foodie once told me that those Pok Pok wings were addictive and absolutely delightful.
If I can’t make it to any of the Pok Pok restaurants, I have to try making it.
Lucky for me, a quick Google search for Pok Pok wings pulls up Andy Ricker’s recipe, published on the Food & Wine magazine.
Named after the Vietnamese chef who created this recipe, these Pok Pok wings are called “Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings.”
I glanced through the ingredients and method.
It was simple enough to make, so out I went gathering the ingredients, marinated the wings, deep-fried and glazed with the sauce.
Voila, Pok Pok has landed in Orange County.
As I have mentioned, I have never tried the real Pok Pok wings, so I could only imagine they would taste better than my adapted version.
The wings are crispy, deeply flavorful, a tad salty but sweet at the same time, with the brilliant garlicky aroma and flavor from the deep-fried garlic.
I was hooked.
The only thing that I felt iffy about was the the fish sauce marinade, which is re-used as a glaze and tossed with the chicken wings before serving.
It was a little disturbing to me, even though the sauce is boiled, hence there is really no hygiene concern.
I have provided an alternative method in my Pok Pok wings recipe below.
Now that I have tasted the goods, I just can’t wait for the Pok Pok cookbook.
I know it’s going to be great, and even more so because my good friend Austin Bush is the food photographer of the cookbook.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 368 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Pok Pok Wings
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Pok Pok Wings (Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- 8 cloves garlic, 5 crushed and 3 minced
- 1 1/2 pounds (750g) chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, sugar, and crushed garlic. Add the wings and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 3 hours, tossing the wings occasionally.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet. Add the minced garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain the garlic on paper towels.
- In a large pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F (176°C). Pat the wings dry with paper towels and reserve the marinade. Place the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add the wings, and turn to coat. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a bowl.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the reserved marinade over moderately high heat until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Strain it over the wings and toss to coat. Top with cilantro, mint, and fried garlic, then serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I live in Canada and had wings very similar to these from a tiny local Vietnamese restaurant last week. They were so delicious i just had to go looking for a recipe. Do you think this recipe could work in an air fryer?
I think so.
Pho Nho in Toronto?
No, superfine sugar is the same as fruit sugar. It is the finest granulated sugar.
I live in Canada and had wings very similar to these from a tiny local Vietnamese restaurant last week. They were so delicious i just had to go looking for a recipe. Do you think this recipe could work in an air fryer?
I’ve made these wings three times now and continue to love them. I live in Portland and have been to PokPok plenty of times and still think these taste as good if not better. I want to add a suggestion for folks – go ahead and double the marinade so when you boil it down for sauce you gave enough.
These are good, but I find the original method of letting the minced garlic soak in water overnight, then using the strained garlic water as part of the marinade (but keeping the garlic to fry), imparts more flavour. It’s a bit more time consuming, but worth it in my opinion.
Sure you can try the original method.
These are good, but I find the original method of letting the minced garlic soak in water overnight, then using the strained garlic water as part of the marinade (but keeping the garlic to fry), imparts more flavour. It’s a bit more time consuming, but worth it in my opinion.
Absolutely delicious! In actually like these better than the Pok Pok wings. Wow.
Awesome thanks so much!
I’ve made these wings three times now and continue to love them. I live in Portland and have been to PokPok plenty of times and still think these taste as good if not better. I want to add a suggestion for folks – go ahead and double the marinade so when you boil it down for sauce you gave enough.
Hi Sohjo, thanks for your comment!! Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
is superfine sugar icing sugar?
Ya. But really. He stole the recipe from his ex. She runs Nongs Khao Man Gai in Portland. The wings are fantastic but Andy is also kinda a prick.
Haha Ruth. I worked for Andy and w Nong, and he certainly didn’t “steal” it to rom Nong, Ike, or anyone for that matter.’m quite certain your timeline is missing about 15 years. And though I haven’t worked there in over a decade, he’s certainly not a prick. Beyond all his culinary success, he was way in front re : recycling,, composting and most importantly sourcing these products himself. Just one example of many contributions.
awww… someone has a crush! I hope he likes you back.
No, superfine sugar is the same as fruit sugar. It is the finest granulated sugar.
Since I have the butterball turkey fryer I was able to make a nice quantity of crispy fried wings. I keep it out in my mancave (garage) so as to not smell up the house. I stayed pretty close to the glaze recipe (I added some soyveh garlic teriyaki)and stirred those crispy little devils into the fish sauce added peanuts and green onions. Sorry Andy. You ain’t getting my cash anymore. I love Pok Pok but ain’t nobody got time to wait in them lines.
Awesome Tim. Glad you got to try these Pok Pok wings.