My mum's stew chicken feet for the Birthday boy

Today, my son, Nick turns twenty three years old. Each year on his birthday I will go through all the photos in "Nick's folder" and reminisce about his growing up stage. While doing so recently, I found this photo. I did not realize then that he had already discovered music when he was hardly one year old.

Then, I found this slide show that I made for him when he was nineteen. It is just a collection of his accomplishments during the first year of his college studying Performing Arts. The song “Maybe” playing in the background was his first attempt to compose a song. He had arranged the music himself and played the guitar and sang it. This song was recorded in his bedroom with his computer software. The guitar you see at the end of the slide show is his first guitar which is one of Nick's most loved Christmas gifts from his Dad. He too is a music lover and through him, Nick was exposed to all kinds of music at a very young age. When both father and son talk about music, I become an outsider. LOL!

Although Nick is twenty three now but to me, he will always remain my child, just like I will always be my mum’s child. Now at fifty six, my mum still nurses me when I am sick and worries for me when I am sad. No matter how old we are, we are still their treasured child in our parent's eyes, do you agree? My mum still asks me where I am going and what time I will be back when I go out alone. Some of us might not like the repeated questions from our parents and think they are nagging. That is probably because we misunderstood their intention. They ask not because they wanted to be intrusive but because they care. It is when we become parents ourselves we start to understand and appreciate them more, don't we?

Nick is Popo’s (my mum) apple of the eye and each time when she knows Nick is coming home to visit, she will always prepare his favorite dishes and stewed chicken feet is one of them. To Nick, Popo's cooking is the best in the world.

Ingredients:

10 pcs chicken feet, cut into two

1 tbs Maggie chicken stock

2 cups plus 2 tbs oil

3 pcs. Cardamon seed

3 pcs. Clove

1 pc. Star anise

3 stick cinnamon bark

1 ½ cup water

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs oysters sauce

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tbs sesame oil

Method to deep fry chicken feet:

Wash, drain and wipe dry chicken feet. Heat 2 cups of oil on high heat and fry chicken feet till golden brown. Drain off the oil and dip chicken feet into cold water for 20 mins. Drain off water and set aside.

Heat 2 tbs oil in wok and fry garlic till fragrant. Add star anise, cardomon seeds, cloves and cinnamon bark and stir fry till fragrant. Add chicken feet and stir fry till all coated with oil. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oysters sauce, water and bring liquid to boil. Then add chicken stock and pepper. Transfer everything to a deep pot and add more water till water covers all chicken feet. Stew on medium heat for about 1 to ½ hours till gravy is thicken. Turn off heat and add sesame oil and mix well before serving.

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