1.Combine chicken ribs, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and five-spice in a non-reactive container, ensuring ribs are completely coated, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2.For tamarind hot sauce, whisk ingredients in a bowl to combine, refrigerate until required. This will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.
3.Heat vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over high heat to 180C. Place flour in a bowl and season to taste. Dip ribs in egg, then flour, shake off excess and deep-fry in batches until golden brown and crisp (5-6 minutes; be careful, hot oil will spit). Drain on paper towels, season to taste with salt, then combine ribs in a large bowl with tamarind sauce and coat well. Serve hot, scattered with kaffir lime leaves, chillies and spring onions.
Note Chicken ribs are pieces of bone-in breast; they’re available from poultry shops or butchers. You can also substitute chicken wings. Coconut vinegar is available from Asian grocers. Gingerboy makes its own chilli jam; we used shop-bought.