Braised Chicken Feet

Ingredients

• For the brine:
• 1 cup boiling water
• 6 whole star anise
• 4 slices ginger, about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 dried bay leaves
• 6 cloves
• Salt
• For the chicken feet:
• 2 pounds chicken feet
• 1 quart vegetable or peanut oil
• 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
• 1 quart cold water
• For the braising broth:
• 1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 scallions
• 2 slices ginger, about 2 inches long and 1/4-inch thick
• 2 whole star anise
• For the sauce:
• 2 teaspoons vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 long hot pepper, sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed with water and patted dried
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

1. Make the brine first. In a 4 quart container, add 1 cup boiling water, 6 whole star anise pods, 4 ginger slices, the cinnamon stick, 6 bay leaves, 6 cloves, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir until the salt is fully dissolved, then put the mixture aside.
2. Prep the chicken feet next. With kitchen shears, trim away the nails. Put the feet in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon salt, massage the salt over them, and cut off any yellow patches you see. Rinse them well under running water, drain them, and pat them very dry with paper towels. The drier they are, the less dramatic the frying situation will be.
3. Pour the vegetable oil into a large Dutch oven or wok and bring it to 350 degrees F. Once it is hot, use long tongs or long chopsticks to lower in a few chicken feet while holding the lid ready in your other hand. Set the lid slightly askew over the pot so there is still a small opening. Fry in batches, giving the feet room instead of crowding the pot, until the spattering settles down and the feet turn golden, about 5 minutes. Move the fried chicken feet to a bowl lined with paper towels, and repeat until all of them are done.
4. Once every batch has been fried, put the chicken feet into the brine container. Pour in 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine and 1 quart cold water, then stir everything together. Chill for 2 hours. After 2 hours, lift out the chicken feet, drain them in a colander, and throw away the brine.
5. For the braise, put the chicken stock, 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine, 2 scallions, 2 slices ginger, and 2 whole star anise pods in a large Dutch oven. Bring it up to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken feet, lower the heat until the liquid is barely simmering, leave the pot partly covered, and cook until the feet are completely tender, about 2 hours.
6. When the chicken feet are tender, gently remove them with a slotted spoon and let them drain in a colander. Measure out 1 cup of the braising liquid and keep it; discard the rest of the broth and place the pot back on the stove. Add the vegetable oil, 1 long hot pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic, and 2 tablespoon fermented black beans to the pot. Cook over medium heat until the mixture smells aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the saved braising liquid along with 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce, then bring everything to a boil. In a small bowl, use a fork to blend 2 tablespoon water with 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Whisk that slurry into the pot, then return the chicken feet to the sauce. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken feet, about 10 minutes.
7. Serve right away, or hold them for later. If you are saving them, move the chicken feet and sauce to a steam proof plate, cool, cover, and refrigerate. To warm them again, prepare a steamer and steam the plate of chicken feet until hot all the way through, about 10 minutes.