Chicken Feet, or Dim Sum-style "Phoenix Claws"

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm a terrible cook, but I definitely lack the balls to be a good one. My grandmothers on both sides are good cooks - they've got the burn scars to show for it. Due to my ineptitude, I've accumulated a few scars as well, but they were mostly from stupid, rookie mistakes like plunging something dripping wet into a wok of smoking oil *shivers*. My paternal grandmother recounted this horrible story of how she got her whole face splashed with hot oil in her youth after carelessly dropping something into the wok from a height. See a theme emerging? I hate hot oil. And, by extension, deep-frying. Which is why I'm so darn proud of myself for these Dim Sum-style "Phoenix Claws".

I'm delighted with the way they turned out. From the acquisition of ingredients (maltose syrup, what's that?) to the dreaded deep-frying part...all those added roadblocks only made the final result appear more impressive. To me, at least. My sisters took one look at the raw chicken feet and refused to touch the cooked ones with a ten-foot pole.

I guess they do look vaguely...grotesque.

Why chicken feet? Well, they've always been a firm favourite amongst the adults in my family whenever we go out for Yum Cha. And since I rarely cook Chinese food for my family, preferring to leave the job for our more seasoned chefs (i.e. the grandmas), I want to make something that's not usually on the weekly menu when I do get the opportunity to wear the apron. I spotted the chicken feet at the Saturday Flemington Markets, and they were so cheap (around $2 a kilo) that I impulsively bought 2kg of them without a clear idea of what I would do with it all. I'm glad these turned out so well, because I still have a kilo stashed in the freezer!

!!!They have nails!!!

Maybe I should have given a warning before that picture. Whoops.

I used to dismiss Chinese cookery as the same old mish-mash of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and spring onions (and, ahem, MSG). Hopefully this won't sound too much like a reflective essay but: my eyes have genuinely, genuinely been opened by trying out Chinese recipes for myself. The careful balance of the "suan tian ku la" (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy) flavours, the use of all parts of the animal, the ability to transform something as unyielding as tendons into this wondrous chewy, gelatinous gustatory delight - it's anything but boring. Far from it. These "Phoenix Claws" weren't perfect, but because I had made them from scratch, and because of everything I've mentioned in this post, they tasted like the best chicken feet dish I've ever eaten. And judging by the way my family polished off the whole kilo I'd cooked, I'd wager that this recipe is a winner :)

Dim Sum-style "Phoenix Claws"

Recipe adapted from Yum Cha !

Ingredients
1kg chicken feet
2 cups vegetable oil (to fry them in)
4 litres water (or enough to cover the chicken feet for boiling)
60g fresh ginger, cut to 2mm slices
6 pieces star anise
1 small bunch coriander/cilantro roots
120g maltose syrup*

For the marinade:
4 tablespoons oyster sauce*
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine*
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons black bean sauce*
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil*

*Available from most Chinese grocery stores

Method

1. Wash chicken feet thoroughly, and chop off the tips of toes to remove nails. Scrap off any remaining bits of scaly yellow skin.

2. Dry the chicken feet with a paper towel. Toss the chicken feet in maltose syrup (you may have to melt the maltose syrup over heat to soften it) to coat.

Maltose syrup (right) and black bean sauce (left). 

3. Heat vegetable oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Fry chicken feet in batches, until the skin is a nice deep, mahogany colour. 

My ineptitude resulted in some burnt bits, but I simply scraped those bits off and carried on :)

4. In a pot, boil water and add ginger, star anise, and cilantro/coriander roots. Add the fried chicken feet. Bring everything to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 90 minutes. Drain.

Boiling the fried chicken feet.

5. Combine the marinade ingredients. Marinate the feet overnight, or at least 12 hours. Before serving, steam the chicken feet and marinade for about 15 minutes.

Japan City Eat Street, Chatswood

Myself and a few others made the inaugural trip to Japan City, located within the Chatswood Westfield, the day after it'd opened. This happened all the way back in March, but I've only recently uncovered the photos of our dinner, so you will have to forgive me if some of the details in this post is a little hazy. Still, I had fun eating there so I thought I'd share anyway!

Japan City is a cool concept - it's like a mini, Japanese-centric shopping centre within Westfield. It has its own food court or "Eat Street" on one side of the complex, and a retail section on the other side selling Japanese home wares, fashion, souvenirs etc. The "Eat Street" consists of numerous, distinct stations, which specialise in different types of food. For example, there was the Sushi Bar where we got our sashimi fix:

Quite pricey, but I do love the presentation, and everything was indisputably fresh. We also ordered a few types of nigiri:

Seared scallop nigiri (bottom) and what I think was Wagyu nigiri (top).

Prawn and salmon nigiri.

And then there was the Noodle Bar, which offers the usual suspects. As with everything else we ordered on the night, the two noodle dishes we ordered were shared between all of us. I think I've said this on many occasions, but I do love dining out with a large group of people. Unless they're stingy germ-o-phobes who won't let you steal bites off their plate.

Nabeyaki udon.

All our food came out quickly enough, considering that the restaurant had literally just opened. The Nabeyaki udon was heavy on the udon and light on everything else, lol. I could never see the point in ordering noodles at restaurants if the price is over $10 per serving, unless the noodles are handmade and the ingredients flown in from the Swiss Alps. Or something poncy like that. Otherwise, I'll make do with instant noodles at home. Not that I would ever voluntarily eat packet instant noodles, foul sodium-laden things they are. Okay, now I just sound like I'm PMS-ing. Moving on. The point is, if you're going to charge something hefty like $15-17 for a bowl of noodles, they better darn well be worth it. This wasn't. And neither was this:

Some other kind of noodle dish.

See what I mean by the details being a little hazy? I can't remember what the name of this noodle dish was, but I do remember the taste. It tasted...funny. I don't know if it was the leftover liquid from the preserved bamboo shoots (I'm guessing that's what those brown stick thingies are), but there was an almost chemical-like quality to the broth and noodles. We left most of it untouched.

Pork katsu with rice.

I think this pork katsu rice set usually comes with curry sauce, but my fellow diner preferred to eat it without the curry, hence the somewhat bare look to the dish. The pork was nice and tender, though, and the breaded crust very crunchy. I can't remember if this came from the noodle bar or the Teppanyaki House, which was where we ordered this teriyaki eel dish from:

Teriyaki eel.

Haha, is that a random mussel I see? The portion size was again on the smaller side, but the eel was well cooked and fatty, which is the way I like it. The teppanyaki beef, on the other hand, was a bit dry:

Teppanyaki beef.

My favourite from the night was the korokke, which for the uninitiated is like a creamier and richer version of the hash brown. The potato on the inside is mashed extensively, and then mixed with seasoning. There is usually some sort of filling in the middle, like meat, cheese, or vegetables. There were two kinds on offer (sorry, again the details escape me!), and we ordered four of each. They were served with a generous pile of sweet mayonnaise on the side. No skimping on portions here - these were huge! I won't tell you how many I had xD

Overall, I had a fun time dining at Japan City. Unless the quality of the food has improved drastically from when I went, I probably wouldn't go again, simply because you could get so much better Japanese food for cheaper prices elsewhere. Sorry, it was just too novel for me. And I'll stick with Ichiban Boshi for my next noodle fix.

Japan City Eat Street, Chatswood

Level 6, Shop 605

1 Anderson Street Chatswood, NSW 2067

Ski trip dinner at Smiggins Hotel, Perisher Valley

This is the third year I've gone skiing at Perisher, and I think I'm finally getting the hang of angling my body 'just so'. Of course, compared with the real ski veterans out there, I still look like an awkward klutz on the slopes. But at least I'm not barrelling down the mountain at an out-of-control 2000 miles/hr anymore (ahem, dad).

I thought I looked a lot more pro than this; haha, inflated ego much?

We were blessed with beautiful weather this year for the entire duration of our trip. Brilliant blue skies, penetrating sunshine (yes, I have the tell-tale 'ski mask' sunburn pattern), and good visibility all around.

Like last year, we stayed at Smiggins Hotel. Literally situated right next to the slopes, Smiggins Hotel is the excellent in terms of convenience and comfort. They also have very nice food!

This crumbed calamari was the entree of the three-course dinner we enjoyed at the Hotel's restaurant on one night. The menu changes each day, and there are two options available for each course. For my main, I ordered the beef fillet, which was perfectly cooked to rare (I like my meat bloody!), and came with a tomato and onion relish, some sort of jus, and beans and potatoes.

The other option for the main was salmon with jasmine rice. I tried some from my fellow diner's plate, and the salmon was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth.

For dessert, there was a choice of the cheese plate or cassata ice cream with biscuit and chocolate sauce. It's a no-brainer which one I went for! xD The ice cream was the consistency of a semifreddo (come to think of it, maybe that's what it said instead on the menu), and was studded throughout with glace fruits. A nice way to finish off the meal!

Here are a few more photos from my trip:

With my sister on the chairlift:

The snow on the slopes at the start of the day, having just been 'combed' and not yet marred with ski tracks (though obviously with footprints!):

Coming down a (relatively gentle) hill:

Being juvenile:

My snow angel/eagle!

Having successfully navigated one of the harder T-bar slopes at Mt. Perisher:

Crumbed lambs' brains with herb sauce

I should probably issue a warning right now that this post contains GRAPHIC IMAGES of...BRAINS.

Lambs' brains, that is. As opposed to, say, human brains. [Insert your fave Hannibal Lector joke here]. Although, human brains would probably be easier to come by. I remember a time when my grandmother would habitually boil up some lambs' brains with star anise and Sichuan pepper every few weeks, and serve that for dinner. My favourite way of eating the brains was to smush it up on a piece of toasted white bread, put a slice of processed/plastic cheese on top, and microwave it until the whole thing was one, gooey mess. Gosh, I was a disgusting kid.

These days, lambs' brains are much harder to come by. When I spotted some frozen ones at Bush's Meats at the Miranda Westfield, I immediately bought a box for $10 without any idea of what I would do with them. And so they stayed in the freezer for the next few months; out of sight, but constantly on my mind (pun intended! xD)

As Fate would have it, a recipe requiring lambs' brains appeared in a recent issue of the Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine. The photo of the dish looked really good, and the name sounded quite delectable: "Crumbed lambs' brains with piquant herb sauce". I assembled the ingredients, and made it for dinner that night.

The onion, celery and carrot is for boiling the brains in, while the parsley, dill and mint is for the herb sauce. You really only need around a tablespoon each of the dill and mint, and around 2/3 cup of the parsley. I don't use fresh herbs much in cooking, relying on the dried stuff as it keeps much better, but I really should incorporate more fresh ingredients into my meals because you simply get so much more flavour out of it! For the sauce, you basically melt some butter, chuck in the herbs, capers and mustard, and it's done within a minute.

Making the 'piquant' herb sauce.

The brains have to be soaked in iced water for an hour to draw out some of the blood, and then boiled alongside the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes, until just cooked.

Boiling the lambs' brains.

The just-cooked brains are then chilled in the fridge for an hour, before they're coated with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs:

Onto the frying! As always, I got a grandparent to help with this stage because working with hot oil still freaks the shit out of me. I'm sure I've already shared with you the story of how a flying bit of oil got me on the right cheek, and I ended up with cellulitis. If I haven't...well, I just did, so take heed and do be careful when you fry stuff!

I guess crumbing and frying in oil makes anything taste good, but the gorgeously oozy texture of the brains made eating this a sensory delight. A sprinkle of salt, and they can be eaten just as they are, but I reckon it's well worth the effort to make the herb sauce.

Crumbed lambs' brains with herb sauce

Adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Ingredients

6 lambs' brains, brainstem removed and lobes carefully separated

1 each of carrot, celery stalk and onion, diced

2 dried bay leaves

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp black peppercorns

Vegetable oil for pan-frying

Plain flour, for dusting

2 eggs, lightly beaten

150g bread crumbs

Coarse salt for seasoning

For the herb sauce:

50g butter

40g of baby capers, rinsed if preserved in salt or vinegar

2/3 cup of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp each finely chopped mint and dill

1 tbsp 'provence herb mustard' (Dijon mustard is fine)

Method

1. Soak brains in a bowl of iced water for an hour. Drain, and set aside.

2. Bring 1 litre of water to the boil with the carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, vinegar and peppercorns. Add brains, and simmer gently over low heat until just cooked through (4-5 minutes). Remove brains with a slotted spoon onto a plate and refrigerate to cool (around 1 hour).

3. Heat around 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a fry-pan. To test whether the oil is hot enough, drop in some bread crumbs. If it starts sizzling, you're good to go. Coat brains first with flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Pan-fry in batches, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper, then season to taste with coarse salt.

4. To make the sauce: Heat butter in the fry-pan over high heat until foaming. Add the capers, parsley, mint, dill and mustard. Stir to combine, then take off heat and spoon over the brains, or serve separately for dipping.

Temasek, Parramatta

I truly think that we here in Sydney are spoiled for choice when it comes to international cuisine. Case in point: I dined at Temasek in Parramatta a few weeks ago, and had what I felt was an authentic Singaporean/Malaysian meal...after driving for a mere 20 minutes from my place!

The restaurant was recommended to us by a family friend whose daughter seriously loves the Hainanese chicken rice there. We've heard recounts of the wee lass demanding to eat chicken rice and nothing. else. will. do! *insert girlish tween tantrum*. Because I was dining out with a large group, we decided to order half a chicken on its own with a steamer of chicken rice separately, rather than a single serve of the dish.

 

Hainanese chicken

  Chicken rice

The chicken was served cold, which I didn't mind. It wasn't as meltingly tender as some of the best renditions of the dish that I've tried, but still good. The chicken rice was a bit bland, not really having much of a chicken flavour. When I make chicken rice at home, I fry the uncooked rice in butter before putting it into the rice cooker with a few cups of chicken broth (from cooking the Hainanese chicken). When I open the rice cooker, the aroma is absolutely indescribable (as is the pain of having one's face scalded by chicken-scented steam, but let's not go into that). Anyway, sorry for bragging xD Next up - the beef rendang.

Beef rendang

 In spite of the crimson pool of oil floating on top, the beef rendang was only mildly spicy. The beef was fall-apart tender. I particularly enjoyed the odd bits of tendon and fat that added flavour and texture. The curry broth/sauce was aromatic with coconut and spices. One of my favourite dishes of the night. I mopped up the curry with bits of roti:

Roti

Ah, the roti! I could only imagine the amount of fat that went into the dough to make it so deliciously flaky. That knowledge wasn't enough to stop me from shoving piece after piece of beef rendang-soaked roti into my pie-hole. Look at them, stacked atop one another so innocently. I would have quite happily made my way through the whole plate, if it wasn't for the dishes that were yet to arrive.

The satay pork probably wasn't the most photogenic dish of the night, but boy did it taste good. It also provided an alternative for dipping my roti in :)

 

Mee goreng

Temasek's mee goreng is rave-worthy. I've never been a fan of noodles or pasta, but the sweet soy sauce, the juicy pieces of prawn and tomato, and the 'bite' from the egg noodles transformed this into something far better than a plate of insulin-spiking refined carbohydrate for me. 

Same with the char kway teow! Not being familiar with the concept or taste of the 'wok hei' (the smoky flavour that gets imparted to the dish by the intense heat over which the noodles are stir-fried), one of my dining companions commented on the "slightly burnt" flavour. It didn't taste burnt to me :D Rather, there was indeed a nice, smoky aroma to the dish.

The satay chicken skewers came with a peanut sauce that I mopped up with my second round of roti.

The lemongrass king prawns were succulent, and nicely crisped on the outside. I thought the serve was a bit small, though.

 Ah, the piece de resistance! The Singaporean Chilli Crab arrived last, in all its scarlet-hued glory. I admit to being a bit scared by the size, and wondered if we could even make a dent in it after stuffing ourselves on all the other dishes. We did end up taking a lot of this away with us, as well as leftovers of the other dishes. The crab meat itself was sweet and tender. I wasn't too crazy about the tomato sauce it was drenched in. 

We were definitely too full for dessert, but the next time I go to Temasek (and, mark my words, I will be back!) I'll make it a point to order the ice kacang!

Temasek

The Roxy Arcade

71 George St

Parramatta NSW 2150

Phone: (02) 9633 9926