Chan Ga Nuong Sa Te (Grilled Chicken Feet with Sate Chili), No Added Refined Sugar

Method

1. Trim the nails off the 8 chicken feet and soak them 10 minutes in lightly salted water with a splash of rice wine and crushed ginger, then rinse them several times.
2. Turn the feet over and split them with a sharp knife, leaving the skin underneath intact so the pieces hold together.
3. Bring a pot of water to the boil with a few slices of ginger, bruised shallots, and lemongrass tops. Blanch the feet 1.5 to 2 minutes, lift them into iced water, then pat them completely dry.
4. Mince 4 cloves of garlic, and bruise and finely chop the bases of the 2 stalks of lemongrass.
5. Mix the sauce: combine 2 tablespoons of shrimp sate chili paste, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of honey or kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon of dried chili powder, 2 teaspoons of cooking oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder until smooth.
6. Wearing gloves, work the sauce into the chicken feet along with the minced garlic and lemongrass, cover them, and chill at least 1 hour.
7. Grill over charcoal, in an oven, or in an air fryer, turning now and then and brushing on the leftover sauce, until the feet are golden and fragrant. Serve with Vietnamese coriander and cucumber.

Tips

• Blanching the feet before marinating both clears the smell and keeps the grilled pieces from drying out.
• Good chicken feet are pinkish white, not slippery, firm to the touch, with the four toes curled inward.
• The sauce only clings to feet that are patted completely dry, and wet ones let it run straight off.
• The surface browns gently with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, so grill until the skin is golden and charred at the edges.
• Honey is still a form of sugar, so if you choose honey, brush it on thinly for the last round only.
• Several thin coats of sauce work better than one thick one, which burns outside while the inside stays bland.