Ingredients
The birds
- 12chicken feet
- 6chicken heads
- optionally necks and gizzards
To clean
- boiling water
- coarse salt
- a small sharp knife
To boil
- 2 litreswater
- 1onion
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tbspsalt
- 1 tsppeppercorns
To season
- 2 tbspbraai spice, or a mix of paprika, garlic powder, coriander and chilli
- 2 tbspoil
To serve
- in a newspaper or paper cone
- with chilli sauce
- with pap or a bread roll
Directions
- Peel every trace of it off. The nails must come off, always, and this is not a step to skip. Rinse them thoroughly and scrub them with coarse salt.
- Take the beak off and check inside the mouth, and go over the whole head for feather stubs. Some vendors remove the eyes and many do not.
- Rinse everything repeatedly until the water runs clear. Now blanch: cover with cold water, bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes and discard that water.
- Return them to a clean pot with fresh water, onion, garlic, bay, peppercorns and plenty of salt. Salt it generously, since the seasoning has to reach through skin and bone. Simmer for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Cook them properly soft. Chicken feet are almost entirely skin, tendon and cartilage, and they need long slow cooking to become tender and gelatinous.
- Drain them and let them dry slightly. Toss them in oil and braai spice, coating them thoroughly. Now grill them over hot coals.
- Grill them over glowing embers for 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until the skin is blistered and charred in patches. Now serve them hot, in a paper cone. Serve chilli sauce alongside, and a bread roll or pap.
Technique
- Chicken feet are eaten widely across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.
- The gelatinous broth from boiling them is worth keeping.
- They are sold at taxi ranks and street corners across South Africa.
Substitutions
- Feet alone, without the heads, which is common.
- Any barbecue spice mix in place of braai spice.
Variations
- Boiled and served in their broth, without grilling.
- With a hot peri-peri marinade.
- Feet only, sold as chicken feet.
History
Township street food built from the cheapest parts of the bird; the name jokes that the feet walk and the heads talk.
Frequently asked questions
What is Walkie talkies?
Walkie talkies is a street food from South Africa: chicken feet and heads boiled then grilled, sold in newspaper cones. Township street food built from the cheapest parts of the bird; the name jokes that the feet walk and the heads talk.
How long does Walkie talkies take to make?
Walkie talkies takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Walkie talkies?
Yes, within limits. Feet alone, without the heads, which is common. Any barbecue spice mix in place of braai spice.
What is the most important thing to get right in Walkie talkies?
Peel every trace of it off. The nails must come off, always, and this is not a step to skip. Rinse them thoroughly and scrub them with coarse salt.
