Stewed Chicken Feet with Mushrooms

The Swallow and her mate enjoy eating together.  When they were courting, they realized that there were many food choices that they had in common.  One of these was chicken feet, whether stewed or as a cold dish.

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" is a popular saying, so after they were married and had their own nest, the Swallow sought the recipe for stewed chicken feet from her mother.  Her mother's version of the dish includes dried mushrooms, and it goes well with rice or egg noodles.

Stewed Chicken Feet
with Mushrooms

STEWED CHICKEN FEET WITH MUSHROOMS

Ingredients

• 2 rice bowls dried mushrooms
• 250g chicken feet
• 2 - 3 tbsp oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 slices ginger
• 1 small onion
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 1 tbsp chinese wine
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• dash of pepper

Method

1. Soak dried mushrooms in water with 1 tsp sugar for 1 hour or until the mushrooms are soft.  Rinse and wash 2 to 3 times with clean water (this will rid the mushrooms of the woody smell).  Soak mushrooms again in water for 3 hours.  Drain and keep the water.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat until hot.  Fry garlic, ginger, onion, cinnamon stick and star anise until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken feet and mushrooms. Fry for about 5 minutes.
4. Season with the remaining ingredients.  Add the mushroom water from step 1.
5. Bring the water to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer until mushrooms are soft, about 2 to 3 hours.

Notes

• Chicken feet can be easily found at markets or supermarkets. Another alternative is to collect each pair whenever a whole chicken is bought, store and accumulate them in the freezer, defrost them when the number of feet has been reached, then cook them.
• Deep-fried chicken feet may also be used.

  

  Deep-Fried Chicken Feet
• Chicken feet may also be replaced with pork ribs, pork loin or chicken wings.
• Use Garlic Chilli Sauce as a dipping sauce, if desired.
• This recipe is great for "Stewed Mushrooms served over Spinach" too.  If omitting the chicken feet, replace with a cube of chicken stock.
• A slow cooker may also be used. Transfer everything after step 4 into a slow cooker and cook at high heat for 6 hours.
• Alternatively, cook everything in a thermal pot and follow until step 4. Thereafter, bring water to a boil, then continue cooking according to manufacturer's recommendation. Reheat thoroughly before serving.