Katsuya Fukushima
Café Atlantico and Minibar | Washington DC

Katsuya Fukushima had a life long interest in food but was unsure he could turn it into a career. After majoring in math and art at the University of Maryland, he took a number of odd jobs to make ends meet including a catering job in Bethesda, Maryland during which he realized he wanted to make a career out of cooking. Fukushima immediately enrolled at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg. Fresh out of culinary school in 1996, Fukushima took a line cook position at Vidalia under Jeffrey Buben. From Vidalia, he began working three jobs simultaneously at Cashion’s Eat Place under the guidance of Ann Cashion, The National Press Club and Jaleo. After three years Fukushima left the other two positions to stay with Jose Andres, following him to Café Atlantico and working closely with him for the next eight years. Andres challenged Fukushima with extra projects like understanding the use of the iSi whippers he brought back from el Bulli. After a stint at Verbena in New York and an inspiring season at el Bulli under Ferran Adria, Fukushima was offered the Chef de Cusine position at Café Atlántico and Minibar in 2002. At Café Atlantico, his boundless curiosity and unwillingness to allow culinary conventions to stand in the way of the evolution of his dishes has resulted in playful and personal dishes like A Taste of India Chicken Wing, inspired by el Bulli's chicken wing cooked in a Cryovac and carefully de-boned.

Taste of India Chicken Wing
Chef Katsuya Fukushima of Café Atlantico and Minibar – Washington, D.C.
Adapted by StarChefs.com

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

Method:
For the Chicken Wings Confit:
Marinate the chicken wings in the salt and lemon juice for 1 hour, then strain. In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast the cloves, coriander, cumin and cardamom. Combine with the onion, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper, yogurt and curry powder. Puree the mixture until smooth. Cover the wings with marinade and refrigerate for two days.
Preheat over to 320ºF. Remove the wings from the marinade and place in a small metal pan. Strain the marinade, discarding the liquid, but saving the remaining pulp. Top the wings with the pulp and enough oil to cover. Bake the wings for 2½ to 3 hours.

Allow the wings to cool slightly and transfer them to a large sheet pan. Grasping the wing gently but securely, separate the cartilage that connects the two bones and carefully twist out the bones without tearing the skin. Reserve the bones for stock and return the wing to the pan. Repeat for each wing.

For the Chicken Glaze:
In a medium-size saucepan, heat canola oil until it smokes. Add enough chicken wings to fill a single layer, but do not overcrowd. Brown both sides and set aside. Repeat until all of the wings are browned.

Drain the excess oil and carefully deglaze the pan with white wine. Reduce to a glaze consistency and return the wings to the pan with the leftover bones. Add enough cold water to cover the wings and bring to a near boil. Reduce the heat to a light simmer and cook for 2 hours. Strain and chill the stock. Once congealed, remove the fat from the surface. Reduce the stock over low heat until slightly thickened. Add the tamarind to the glaze and chill.

For the Coconut Cream:
In a small saucepan reduce the coconut milk to a yogurt-like consistency.

To Assemble and Garnish:
Heat oil to 350°F in a small fryer and fry the wings until golden brown. Place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Transfer them to a metal plate and sprinkle with sugar. Caramelize the sugar with a blow torch and top each wing with ¼ teaspoon of chicken glaze and ¼ teaspoon of coconut cream. Garnish with curry powder and micro cilantro to taste.