Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce

Storing and Planning Ahead

Refrigerated for 3 days. Re-steam 15 minutes. Freezes 2 months.

Making Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce

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1. Blanch the chicken feet in boiling water 5 minutes, then drain and dry them completely on a cloth.

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2. Rub them with the maltose and vinegar and leave to dry 30 minutes, until the skin looks glazed.

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3. Heat the oil to 180°C / 355°F and fry the feet in batches 4 minutes, with a lid ready — they spit. They should blister and turn golden.

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4. Drop them straight into a large bowl of cold water and soak 2 hours, until visibly puffed and wrinkled.

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5. Drain, then simmer them in fresh water 30 minutes, until the skin gives easily.

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6. Fry the black beans, garlic, ginger and chilli in 2 tbsp of oil 2 minutes.

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7. Add the soy sauces, oyster sauce, wine, sugar, star anise and water and bring to a simmer.

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8. Add the feet, cover and braise 45 minutes.

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9. Stir in the slaked cornflour to thicken, then transfer to bowls and steam 20 minutes more.

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10. Scatter with spring onion and serve very hot.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Tips for Success

• Fry, then soak in cold water. That is what makes them puff.
• Bone dry before they go in the oil, and keep a lid to hand.
• The final steam is what makes them fall off the bone.

Some Background

The frying-then-soaking is the entire technique and cannot be skipped. Deep-frying blisters the skin, and the long cold soak afterwards lets those blisters swell with water, which is what gives phoenix claws their characteristic puffed, wrinkled surface and lets them absorb sauce. Skip either step and you have chewy chicken feet in gravy. Dry them completely before they go in the oil — wet feet spit violently — and keep a lid to hand.

Good Alongside

Jasmine tea · Har gow · Steamed rice

Ingredient Swaps

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the red chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce FAQ

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce Nutrition Facts

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.

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