Chan Ga Sot Thai (Thai Style Chicken Feet with Ambarella)

Method

1. Blanch 1kg chicken feet in boiling water, soak and wash them in lightly salted water, rinse under clean water, then cut into bite sized pieces.
2. Mince 100g garlic and most of the 100g shallot, keeping 3 shallots whole and bruised for the pot. Cut 200g lemongrass into lengths, keeping 3 stalks bruised for the pot. Split the 300g calamansi in two batches, one squeezed for juice and one sliced into rounds with every seed removed. Slice the horn chili. Peel 1kg young ambarella and cut it in half.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil with the bruised lemongrass and shallot, add the chicken feet and boil for 15 minutes. Lift them into 300g ice cubes for 10 minutes to set the crunch, then drain.
4. Heat 5 tablespoons cooking oil in a pot and fry the minced shallot and garlic until golden. Lower the heat and add 225g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 2 tablespoons shrimp salt, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon dried chili flakes, 1 tablespoon chili sauce and 2 tablespoons chili powder, then stir to combine.
5. Pour in 180ml water and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat, stir in the calamansi juice and leave it to cool.
6. Put the chicken feet in a large bowl with the lemongrass, calamansi rounds, ambarella and the sauce. Mix by hand, then marinate for 4 to 5 hours.

Tips

• Ten minutes in ice water right after boiling is what sets the skin and keeps the snap.
• Every seed has to come out of the calamansi that goes into the mix, or the whole batch turns bitter.
• The kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir it well in the pot and stir again after 5 minutes so nothing grits at the bottom.
• The sauce must be completely cool before it meets the chicken feet, as warm sauce softens the skin.
• A few minutes in lightly salted water after peeling keeps the ambarella pale and crisp.
• Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within two days for the best texture.