Chicken Feet

Method

1. Rinse 250 g of chicken feet under cold running water. With kitchen scissors, snip the hard nail tip off each toe and trim away any yellow patches of skin. Pat completely dry.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, slide in the feet and simmer for 10 minutes, until the skin is taut and plumped. Drain and rinse briefly in cold water, then pat bone dry — any wet skin will spit violently in the oil.
3. Dissolve 1 tbsp of maltose and 1 tsp of rice vinegar in 2 tablespoons of hot water and toss the warm feet in it until glossy. Spread them on a rack, uncovered, and air-dry for at least 1 hour, until the skin feels dry and tacky like parchment.
4. Heat the deep-frying oil in a deep wok or pot to 180C. Lower in the feet a few at a time, immediately cover with a lid and stand back — they will crackle hard for the first minute. Fry for 6-8 minutes until deep golden and blistered all over, then lift out with a spider onto kitchen paper.