Crispy Sesame Sticky Squirrel Wings

When we clean our squirrels, we often package the front legs separate from the backs and hindquarters. The latter get fried, smoked and added to soups, stews, burgoos and dumplings. The former get cooked up in a variety of ways and served as appetizers. We call them squirrel wings since they sort of resemble a chicken wing when cooked and share a similar easy-to-grip bone handle, making them the perfect party snack food. This recipe is a quick and easy stovetop version that turns out sweet, savoury, crisp squirrel legs perfect for serving up at your next get-together. If you happen to take a few young gray squirrels, you can use the hindquarters for this dish as well.

8-12 squirrel front legs
oil for pan-frying
1 tsp. white pepper, freshly ground
½ cup cornstarch
1-2 Tbsp. sesame seeds for garnish

Sauce:
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup rice wine
¼ cup sugar
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

Heat ½" of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season the legs with white pepper, then coat them with cornstarch.

Pre-measure the sauce ingredients so that you can toss them all in a pan quickly while the squirrel fries.

Fry the legs 5-6 minutes per side or until just cooked through and brown and crispy on the surface. Fry in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan.

Season the legs with white pepper, then coat with cornstarch and pan-fry until golden, crispy brown.

While the squirrel cooks, in a separate pan, add the soy sauce, mirin, rice wine, sugar, garlic and five-spice powder. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

Mix the sauce ingredients in the pan and simmer until syrupy thick. Mix the sauce ingredients in the pan and simmer until syrupy thick.

Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add the fried legs to the saucepan and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Add the fried legs to the saucepan and toss to coat evenly. Add the fried legs to the saucepan and toss to coat evenly.