Roasted Chicken Feet and Gizzards Kebabs

Referring to the delicious food in Lesotho, one cannot forget the Roasted Chicken Feet and Gizzards Kebabs. This is a dish with simple ingredients but very easy to make. Gizzards with attached liver are sometimes sold alongside dressed chicken. Frozen gizzards are sold individually in wet markets and most supermarkets in the Philippines as a delicacy. Gizzards are quite tough. Really difficult. To make chicken gizzard appealing to humans, it must be thoroughly cleaned and cooked. Gizzards cannot be tenderized simply by threading them on bamboo skewers and cooking them directly.

The preferable method is to marinate the gizzards before grilling them over live coals. This allows the gizzards to absorb the marinade's flavors and the meat fibers to break apart. And because the gizzards are fully cooked, grilling time is only around 8 minutes. That's all it takes to add texture and smokey taste. Although simple, this dish will attract you from the first bite.

Ingredients

• 500 grams chicken gizzards, ½ cup vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon peppercorns, 1 half-inch knob ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 shallot, 1 bay leaf

Instructions

• Rinse the gizzards well. Inspect each and every one. Pull out and discard any fatty tissues attached to them–especially all yellowish grainy bits attached to them.
• When you’ve removed all the nasty bits from the gizzards, rinse them again then drain.
• Place them in a non-reactive bowl and pour the vinegar over them.
• Leave them there for 10 minutes then rinse again. Discard the vinegar.
• Place the now clean gizzards in a pot and add enough water to cover.
• Add the salt, peppercorns, ginger, garlic, shallot and bay leaf.
• Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half depending on how large the gizzards are. If the liquid dries out before the gizzards are done, just add a cup of water each time.
• While the gizzards simmer, soak the bamboo skewers in water. This will prevent them from catching fire on the grill.
• When the gizzards are done, drain and cool.
• When cool enough to handle, if they are rather large, you may cut them into bite-size pieces. It’s optional, really, because they are very tender at this point and tearing them with your teeth should be a breeze.
• Preheat your grill. High heat will be necessary. The gizzards will be on the grill only for a short time and you really want the heat to lick as much of their surface with gusto.
• Thread a few pieces of gizzard in each bamboo skewer. Repeat until all the gizzards have been skewered.
• In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the basting sauce.
• Brush the gizzards all over with the sauce.
• Grill the gizzards over intensely high heat. Just two minutes or so per side. You may baste them a few times during grilling. How brown and scorched you want them is entirely up to you. Remember though that the basting sauce contains honey and that burns fast.
• Serve the chicken gizzards right off the grill.