Stir the sugar together with water in a medium-sized pot.

Caramelize the sugar over medium-high heat until it is a lovely deep amber, swirling occasionally.

When the sugar has reached the right color, slowly drizzle in the soy sauce. Be careful, it will sputter.

Add in the orange juice, honey, vinegar, sriracha, and sesame oil, and bring back to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the caramel.

Meanwhile, in a small cup, stir 3 tbsp cornstarch together with 1 tbsp water to form a liquid the texture of heavy cream (called a slurry).

If you need to, you can add a few more drops of water to loosen it a bit.

When the sauce is at a simmer, drizzle in the slurry while whisking the sauce. Simmer the sauce for a minute or two until it becomes glossy and thick.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat about three inches of vegetable oil in a straight sided pot. (Using a pot instead of a frying pan contains the mess a bit. Something like a dutch oven would be ideal here, however, I use a medium size sauce pot and fry in several batches).

Toss the wings in the half cup of corn starch, making sure they are all evenly coated. When the oil is shimmering, place one wing in the pot. If the oil is ready, it will start to bubble right away.

Fill the pot with one layer of wings, and fry about 6-8 minutes, turning wings halfway through. Wings should be golden brown, and cooked through.

Remove from oil with tongs or slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Drizzle with sauce and toss to coat.

Wait about three seconds to dig in so you don’t burn your fingers.