Message: | Chicken feet in dim sum isn't for everyone, but once you're hooked, you're hooked. You don't eat it for the meat (which there is none) but rather for the flavor of the skin and the fun of sucking the bones. You bite off a piece of the foot and, using your teeth and tongue only, extract the skin from the bone. This requires sucking and pulling with your teeth, but it's well worth it! If the chicken is cooked right, the sauce will make the skin delectable--as long as the skin is not mushy. Afterwards, you politely pop the bone back out of your mouth and onto your plate and bite off another piece from the foot...
I've had chicken feet at dim sum places prepared two ways: one is cold and the skin is white. It has a vinegary, slightly spicy taste. The second is served hot, has a smokier taste and the skin is dark brown. Has an almost gravy-like topping. Not sure how either is made, someone else might be able to talk to that.
It might sound disgusting and looks uncouth, but really, it's tasty, fun, and a good work out of the mouth/tongue. In fact, it's because of all of the years I've eaten chicken feet (and duck wings) that I can tie a cherry stem into a pretzel in my mouth. |