Crow's feet have made their way into recipes in many countries around the world, but the Chinese version served as dim sum is one of the best known on a global scale. The long cooking process includes multiple steps, in fact it is necessary to fry, marinate and stew the crow's feet before being able to sprinkle them with the typical delicious accompanying sauce.
Ingrediants
Doses for 4-6 servings
900 g of crow's feet
For Preparation
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) of salt
- 1 liter of cold water
For Frying
1 liter of sunflower, corn or peanut oil
For the Marinade
- 250 ml of boiling water
- 6 star anise fruits
- 4 slices of ginger, 5 cm long each
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 bay leaves
- 6 cloves
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) of salt
- 125 ml of rice wine
- 1 liter of cold water
For the broth
- 1 liter of water
- 80 ml of rice wine
- 2 star anise fruits
- 4 spring onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 piece of ginger (2.5 cm), cut into small slices
For the Salsa
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of fermented black bean sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) of sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of rice wine
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) freshly ground white pepper
- 2 small chillies, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) of cornstarch (or cornstarch)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cold water
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Initial preparations
Step 1. Trim your nails
Use a sturdy pair of kitchen scissors or a heavy cleaver to clip the nails on all of the crow's feet.
If you wish, you can also separate the end of the leg (the one where the "toes" are) from the rest by cutting at the joint. Both parts will be prepared and cooked in the same way. Separating them allows you to fry them more easily, but once ready they will not have their characteristic appearance
Step 2. Wash the paws in salt water
Dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a liter of cold water. Dip the crow's feet in the water, then scrub them carefully, one by one, with your fingers.
- You can rub one paw against the other by keeping them submerged in water to make it easier to remove dirt or debris.
- Eliminate parts of yellowish and flaky skin. If you can't tear it off with your fingers, cut it off with kitchen scissors.
Step 3. Rinse and dry them carefully
Drain the crow's feet from the salty water and rinse them thoroughly under the cold, clean tap water. Finally let them drain again and then dab them with kitchen paper to dry them.
- It is very important to dry them thoroughly after rinsing them. Otherwise the remaining water will make the oil splash dangerously during frying.
- After they are perfectly dry, arrange them on a clean plate, then start preparing the oil for frying.
Part 2 of 5: Frying the Crow's Feet
Step 1. Heat the oil
Pour a quart of sunflower, corn, or peanut oil into a large, tall cast iron saucepan. Heat it on the stove until it reaches a temperature of 180 ° C.
- As an alternative to a cast iron pot, you can use one with a sturdy bottom, a large wok or a deep fryer.
- The ideal is to monitor the temperature of the oil with a cooking thermometer, but if you don't have one, the best technique is to drop a piece of white bread into the pot. When you see it turn golden in about ten seconds, you will know that the oil is hot enough to start frying.
Step 2. Fry the legs until they are golden brown
Add several pieces to the hot oil using a pair of kitchen tongs. Let them fry for between 3 and 7 minutes, you will know they are ready when they are perfectly golden.
- Proceed with caution as oil splashes will most likely be produced which could be dangerously dangerous. Shield yourself with the lid of the pot as you carefully dip your paws directly into the boiling oil. Do not drop them from above, lay them down with pliers.
- While the paws are frying, place the lid on the pot so that only a small opening remains for the steam to escape.
Step 3. Drain them on kitchen paper
Carefully remove the ready paws from the oil, immediately transferring them to a large plate lined with several layers of clean absorbent paper.
As an alternative to the kitchen bag, you can use paper straw or some paper bags for bread after opening them completely
Step 4. Repeat as needed
Fry and drain the remaining crow's feet by repeating the exact same steps. To get a perfect result, it is important to fry only a few pieces at a time.
Ideally you should only fry 3-4 legs at a time. The reason is that when you put them in the pot, the temperature of the oil drops. If they are few, the drop will not be excessive and the frying will be light and crunchy, but otherwise the oil will cool down beyond measure and you will not be able to fry them properly
Part 3 of 5: Marinating the Crow's Feet
Step 1. Blend the ingredients you need to make the marinade
Combine boiling water, star anise, ginger, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, and salt in a large bowl. Stir until the salt has completely dissolved.
You can prepare the marinade before or after frying the paws, in any order that is convenient for you. If you prefer to assemble it in advance, just remember to cover the bowl with a lid, then store it at room temperature until you are ready to use it
Step 2. Dip the legs in the marinade
Carefully place them in the bowl, then make sure they are all completely submerged in the liquid.
Step 3. Add the last ingredients of the marinade
Pour the rice wine and cold water directly into the bowl, then mix gently to distribute them evenly.
The water must be frozen. This will quickly lower the temperature of the marinade and crow's feet, thus interrupting the cooking process
Step 4. Let them rest in the refrigerator for two hours
Cover the bowl with a lid, then put it to cool. The crow's feet must remain in the refrigerator, immersed in the marinade, for at least two hours.
Once the indicated time has elapsed, you will notice that the paws have swollen. Don't worry, this is a normal effect that will help make the final consistency of the recipe enjoyable
Step 5. Drain the crow's feet and discard the marinade
Pour the contents of the boule into a colander, then let them drain for a few moments as you proceed with the next steps.
Part 4 of 5: Stew the Crow's Feet
Step 1. Combine the ingredients you need to stew the crow's feet
Pour the water, rice wine, star anise, spring onions and ginger into a large and sturdy pot, preferably cast iron. Place it on the stove and heat the broth ingredients over medium-high heat until the boil is stable.
Step 2. Add the crow's feet
Carefully place them in the pot. You will need to dip them directly into the boiling broth instead of dropping them from above.
- After adding the crow's feet to the broth you need to braise them, wait for the liquid to boil again.
- When the broth comes to a boil again, reduce the heat so that it simmers gently.
Step 3. Cook the legs until they are tender
Partially cover the pot with the lid, then let the crow's feet cook for as long as necessary to soften them. It will take about 90-120 minutes.
- Occasionally mix and check the consistency of the main ingredient of the recipe.
- You will know that the chicken feet are ready when you can pierce both the flesh and the bones with ease using a regular fork.
Step 4. Drain the broth
Pour the contents of the pot into a colander to filter it. Keep 125 ml of broth and all the crow's feet.
After measuring and setting aside 125ml of broth, discard the remaining broth
Part 5 of 5: Serve the Crow's Feet
Step 1. Mix the sauce ingredients with the broth you have stored
Pour the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fermented black bean sauce, sugar, rice wine, white pepper, chillies, garlic and the required amount of broth into a large wok. Place the pot on the stove and heat the ingredients over medium-high heat.
Heat and mix the elements that make up the sauce until the sauce begins to boil briskly, then reduce the heat to a medium level so that it simmers gently
Step 2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water before pouring it into the pot
While the sauce is simmering over a low heat, mix one teaspoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until you get a rather thick mixture.
Then immediately pour it into the pot, then quickly incorporate it into the sauce using the whisk. Continue stirring while the sauce simmers until you are sure all the ingredients are well blended
Step 3. Add the crow's feet
Place them in the sauce as it simmers gently, then cook for 5-10 minutes or until they are evenly hot.
Note that the sauce should thicken further in the latter stage. You will know it is ready when it is dense and viscous enough to stick to the paws
Step 4. If you want, you can serve the dish immediately
In this case, transfer the chicken feet covered with sauce to serving dishes and do not wait any longer to enjoy them.
Step 5. Alternatively, you can save them for the next day and then steam them before eating
If you want the flavors to have time to blend and intensify, you can put the crow's feet in the fridge and reheat them the next day before serving them to the table.
- Transfer the sauce-coated crow's feet to a heat-resistant dish. As soon as they reach room temperature, cover them and place them in the refrigerator.
- The next day, place a steamer basket on top of a pot that contains boiling water, then place the dish with the crow's feet inside the basket. You can serve them on the table after heating them for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve the crow's feet while they are hot.
