Braised Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken fryer drumsticks
- 4 c Cold water
- Cornstarch for dredging
- 1/2 c Dark soy Sauce
- 3 c Oil for deep-frying
- 1/2 c Rock Sugar
- 1 c Dried chestnuts
- 1/2 c Medium sherry
- 1 Five-spice bouquet (OR 1 tbsp Five-spice powder)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Direction
- At least 12 hours before cooking this dish, rinse several times then soak dried chestnuts.
- After soaking, remove pieces of skin wedged in nutmeat.
- Deep-frying: In wok or similar pan, slowly heat deep-frying oil until bubbles quickly form around chopstick held vertically in oil.
- Meanwhile, dredge drumsticks in cornstarch; shake off excess starch.
- Deep- fry drumsticks 2 at a time until brown, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from oil; and place on absorbent paper towel to absorb grease.
- Red-cooking: Put water in sandy pan or comparable Casserole dish;
- add 5- spice bouquet, soy Sauce, sherry & salt (5-spice powder can be substituted, though the final flavor will be less distinctive).
- Slowly bring to boil, reduce heat, cover pot & simmer 15 minutes.
- Remove cover; discard bouquet; add salt & rock Sugar; dissolve rock Sugar.
- You can stop here until near serving time.
- About 30 minutes before serving time, add drumsticks & soaked chestnuts to Hot red-cooked Sauce.
- Simmer in covered pot for 15 minutes;
- remove cover; simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Sauce should have reduced by about 1/3, and become bright & thick.
- To serve, prop drumsticks up around sides of sandy pot; spear chestnuts with sate sticks or long toothpicks.