chicken feet

as part of the eating san francisco class at usf, i joined my classmates and professor on an adventure through chinatown. always unsure of what to expect during our excursions, this one was no different. zigzagging our way through the streets we made our first stop at the tien hau temple located at 125 waverly place (joy luck club, anyone?). although i was absolutely fascinated with being there and learning what it stands for, watching nick receive and read his fortune in front of the class (lucky it was a GREAT one!) was definitley the best part. unfortunately i need to move on because obviously "tien hau" is not the title of this post...

chicken feet...lost in translation...phoenix talons

that's right folks, chicken feet. and i'm just going to spoil it and skip to the good stuff...I ATE THEM! now, to someone completely unaccustomed to the idea of eating chicken feet, this may seem surprising...but to someone who knows me, surprising doesn't even begin to describe the reaction i received upon sharing this news...

alyssa (lil' sister): "YOU ate WHAT??? no way! no way! you don't even like my feet or her feet or YOUR feet, but you can eat chicken feet? you're weird..."

mandy: "why would YOU do that? i don't believe you. you HATE feet! but you can eat chicken feet?"

katie: "how are you feeling? oh! i get it, you don't like to touch or look at feet, but eating them is acceptable. good to know"

is it obvious now? i hate feet. i don't know why but i just don't like them. toes most especially. but for whatever reason, when michael said it was by far his favorite dish i had to try 'em! and try 'em i did, proof thanks to ali
after much research and talking with a man who was brought up in a strict chinese household, here's what i learned. the direct translation usually is chicken feet, however more poetically known as phoenix talons. rich in cartilage, this delicacy is quite delicious! prepared in a variety of ways, but here is one simple recipe that he pointed me to. (simple, if you can get your hands on some quality feet)

make sure to wash the chicken feet first and chop off toenails. cut the feet into quarters.

what you will need:
1 pound chicken feet
2 quarts oil
2 quarts water
1 ounce fresh ginger
3 pieces star anise
2 ounces Chinese parsley roots
2 ounces maltose sugar (see note)
marinade:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1 ounce chopped chile pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

heat the oil and mix the chicken feet with maltose sugar. fry them until they are golden brown. it should take about 7 minutes. remove the feet and drain.

boil water and add ginger, star anise and parsley roots. add the chicken feet. bring the mixture to a boil again. then reduce the heat and simmer them for 90 minutes. drain.

combine marinade ingredients and marinate the feet for 24 hours. before serving, steam the feet and marinade for 15 minutes.

so, the next time you have a little dinner party, surprise them with some culture and sweetness! enjoy!