Madeeha Qureshi’s Saudi coffee and Hawaij sticky chicken wings recipe

“Anyone who knows me from my teen years knows well enough of my chicken-wing addiction,” says Madeeha Qureshi. “I am a diehard admirer and a self-proclaimed authority in my household on where to get the best chicken wings. Be it deep-fried, breaded, grilled, baked, crispy or sticky, smothered in a nice buffalo sauce, I love them in all forms.

“I think they are the best bits a chicken has to offer us humans. My love (and craze) for sticky, glazed and grilled wings knows no boundaries, so much so I won many wing-eating street and school competitions in my wild teen years, with a jaw dropping technique of putting the whole wing in my mouth from one side and spitting the squeaky clean bones out from the other side.”

Qahwa (Saudi coffee) and Hawaij sticky chicken wings with pomegranate BBQ sauce

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

1kg skin-on chicken wings

For the Hawaij spice mix (makes a small jar):
30g black peppercorns
25g cumin seeds
15g coriander seeds
A small cinnamon stick
1⁄2tsp whole cloves
15g green cardamom pods
15g ground turmeric

For the rub:
1tbsp Hawaij spice mix
1tbsp ground Saudi coffee, or the mildest roasted coffee you can find
1⁄4tsp ground cardamom
1tsp brown sugar

For the marinade:
60ml pomegranate molasses
2 fat cloves of garlic, minced
45g ginger, finely grated or minced
1tsp paprika
1⁄2tsp chilli flakes
2tbsp ketchup
2tbsp barbecue sauce
20g brown sugar
1⁄2tsp fine sea salt
1tsp olive oil

To serve:
Lime wedges

Method:

1. First, make the spice mix: put all the spices except for the turmeric in a frying pan and set on a medium heat. Roast the spices for four to five minutes until fragrant, then tip the roasted spices onto a plate and let them cool down.

2. Once cool, finely grind the spices in a coffee grinder. Sift the ground spices to separate out any big chunks, returning any larger pieces to the grinder to blitz again. Sift the mixture, then mix in the turmeric. Put the spice mix in a jar with a tight lid and store in a cool dry place.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), gas 4, and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

4. Put the chicken wings in a wide bowl along with all the rub ingredients and rub them well together, massaging every nook and cranny of the wings. Cover with a tea towel and set them aside for 15 minutes at least. This step can be done a day ahead – let the chicken marinate in the fridge.

5. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the rub-coated chicken wings and turn them around until well-coated in the marinade.

6. Shake off any excess marinade and reserve it for later use. Lay the marinated wings, skin side up, on the lined baking tray and bake for 25 minutes. These can also be cooked on the barbecue or air fried.

7. Remove the tray from the oven and smother the wings generously with the remaining marinade, then roast for another 35-40 minutes until rich brown in colour and cooked through. Serve straight away with lime wedges and with mlawa bread and/or vegetable maftoul, if you like.

The Red Sea cookbook by Madeeha Qureshi is published by Nourish Books, priced £32. Photography by Patricia Niven. Available now