Fried chicken wings with soy sauce

Susan Jung, This is my mother's recipe.

8-10 large chicken wings, drumette and middle joint only
Cornstarch, for dredging
Cooking oil, for frying
80ml soy sauce
40ml hot water
10 grams granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, halved
1-2 ginger slices, peeled then julienned
A few leaves of iceberg lettuce

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cut the chicken wings at the joint. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the soy sauce, water and sugar, until the sugar is dissolved. Mix in the garlic and ginger.

Pour cooking oil into a skillet to the depth of about 3cm. Place the skillet over a medium flame and heat it until the oil reaches 180 degrees. Dredge the chicken pieces in the cornstarch, shake off the excess, then fry the pieces in the oil until done, turning them over as needed so they cook evenly. 

Cook the chicken in batches; do not crowd the skillet. Drain the cooked chicken on paper towels and while they are still hot dip the pieces in the soy sauce mixture, turning them over so they're evenly coated. Place the chicken on a baking tray just large enough to hold the pieces in one layer.

When all the chicken has been cooked and coated, drizzle the excess soy sauce mixture over the pieces in the baking tray. Bake at 180 degrees for about five minutes or until the soy sauce mixture has dried out slightly. Shred the lettuce leaves, place them on a serving plate and put the chicken wings on top.