Adobong Paa nang Manok (Chicken Feet Adobo)

Lalaine — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:02:36 +0000

There I was contorted, bending here and bending there, taking a shot here and a shot there of this adobong paa nang manok, when my mother who is visiting from the Philippines walked in the kitchen and asked what I was up to. I replied with clear exasperation, “I can’t seem to get a good shot of this adobo.” She looked at me and said matter-of-factly, “Child, they are chicken feet, I don’t think there is a lot you can do with them” and walked back out of the kitchen, leaving me laughing to (or at?) myself. Ha ha ha! Of course. Chicken feet. I could be the best food stylist in whole of California, of which of course I am far from, and this dish would still be a hard sell.

Still, let me convince you of chicken feet for tonight’s dinner. Believe you me, go past the images of nails and claws, cook them right, simmer them patiently to wherein tendons are literally falling off the bones, and you’ll discover the most succulent morsel that walked (pun intended) the earth. True, I’ve eaten these exotic delights many times in dimsum houses and enjoyed them steamed and prepared with black beans, but I must insist, the garlicky flavors of adobo is really the perfect backdrop!

Ingredients

2 to 3 lbs chicken feet
1 1/2 cup vinegar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 to 2 bay leaves
5 to 6 peppercorns, cracked
1 tbsp vgetable oil
2 to 3 cups water
salt

Procedure

With a knife, trim chicken feet of claws. Scrub well with salt, rinse in cold water and drain.

Place prepared chicken feet in a deep pot and add crushed garlic aside from a clove or two’s worth, half of the sliced onions, crushed peppercorns, bay leaves, vinegar, soy sauce and water. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, lower heat to medium-high and continue to cook until skin of feet begins to break and liquid is reduced.

Remove from heat and in a colander, separate chicken feet mixture from the liquid. Save liquid. In another pan, heat oil. Saute the reserved garlic and the remainder of the onions until softened and tanslucent. Return chicken feet to pan and saute until lightly browned. Pour in reserved liquid and bring to a slow boil, around 4 to 5 minutes. Then lower heat, cover and simmer until meat peels off bones with minimal effort and sauce is reduced to barely coating meat, adding more water in half-a-cup increments as needed. Adjust flavor with salt as desired. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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Tinolang Palaka (Frog Legs in Ginger Broth)

Lalaine — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:27:54 +0000

My husband is a good man. For the most part, he is a responsible, hardworking and kind soul. But on occasions, he could be so insensitive and downright clueless I wonder if I picked up the wrong amphibian from the pond. I went home from my nursing clinicals last Thursday at 9:30 PM, went straight to the kitchen to fix dinner and laid the table for him. He ate, got up and went directly to the living room to watch TV. Ahem. Dude, the dishes? After years of kissing, my toad sometimes forgets how to be a charming prince.

Conquer your initial aversion and take that first bite. You’ll discover that frog legs taste almost like chicken, although the meat is somewhat sweeter. Try frogs in fried or stew recipes that call for our favorite poultry and believe me when I say, you’ll be pleasantly suprised.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

4 frog legs
1/2 small onion, finely sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1/2 green papaya or 1 chayote, peeled and cubed
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
4 cups water
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper

Procedure

Cut frog legs into two parts.

In a deep pot, heat vegetable oil. Saute onions, garlic and ginger until tender and aromatic.

Add in frog legs. Saute until lightly browned. Add fish sauce. Lower heat and continue to cook until juices seep through.

Add water. Simmer until frog legs are almost cooked. Skim off any scum that aggregates on top. Add
papaya or chayote. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender.

Season with salt and pepper. Add spinach leaves. Turn off heat and keep covered until spinach leaves are wilted. Serve hot.

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The Cookmobile:

Nilagang Baka (Beef Shank Soup)

Tinolang Manok (Stewed Chicken in Ginger)

The CookMobile » Food Curiosities

Adobong Paa nang Manok (Chicken Feet Adobo)

Ingredients

Procedure

Hungry for More?

Tinolang Palaka (Frog Legs in Ginger Broth)

Ingredients

Procedure

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The Cookmobile: