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The deep frying set-up.
This is the burner unit I use for boiling joongzi.
It's perfect to use with the wok as a deep fryer.
There is no splatter or oily smell in the house to deal with.
The pot of water with ice is for dunking the feet
as soon as they come out of the deep fryer.
It's cool enough outside, -4C,
that there were still ice cubes left after 4 batches of hot feet.

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Although the feet were dry when I put them in,
the sugar really set them a-popping and spattering.
Good thing this is outside and I am standing far enough away
to avoid getting burned.

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The feet smelled so good and looked so delicious!
It was hard to NOT pull one to snack on.
However, patience will be the reward.
The feet are still pretty tough at this stage.

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Into the ice water bath.
This cools the skin down very quickly and
causes the skin to puff up and pull away from the bone.

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Chilled and drained.
The skin on the feet are wrinkly and loosened from the bone.

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Simmering in a bath of star anise, ginger,
Thai Chili peppers (fresh and dried), sherry, tamari soy,
fermented black beans, and a tbsp. vinegar.

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Simmered, drained, and in a marinade of garlic,
fermented black beans, oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine, sugar, white pepper,
Thai chili peppers, all blended in the processor.

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Steamed in the marinade for 15 minutes.
Good flavour, a bit of heat, and very tender!
I did thicken the sauce a little with cornstarch slurry.
These are very rich, so three was my limit.
The rest of the batch will be portioned and frozen for later enjoyment ;-)

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INTRO AND CONTENTS
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Copyright 2013/2014
Sue-On Hillman
Bill and Sue-On Hillman Eclectic Studio