This braised duck recipe is probably one dish that requires the most preparation. But it is amazingly tasty and filling, absolutely must try for any duck meat lovers out there! For those that are afraid of the duck after taste, don’t worry, this dish ensures that the meat has a very aromatic cooked taste instead.
Braised Duck
Ingredients:
1. 1 whole big duck.
2. 5 thin slices of galangal or blue ginger.
3. 8 cloves of garlic with skin intact.
4. 2 cinnamon sticks.
5. Corn or Potato starch
6. Ready made five spices powder. (These are commonly a mixture of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds, but five-spice powder can also include anise seeds, ginger root, nutmeg, turmeric, amomum villosum pods, cardamom pods, licorice, orange peel, or galangal.)
7. Light and Dark soy sauce.
8. Hard Bean curd (Tau Kwa) or Tofu. (You will braise them.)
9. Eggs. Pre-hard boiled as many as you like.
10. Canned steamed peanuts. (Can get from supermarket)
Instructions:
1.
Cut the head and butt off the duck. You may keep the neck if you like to eat it. I personally love necks!
2.
Wash the duck thoroughly to make sure all the guts are gone. Pat the duck dry with tissue towels when you’re done.
3. To prepare the special seasoning, mix 2 tsp five spices powder, 2 and 1/4 cups of dark soy sauce, 2 and 1/2 tsp of salt, 4 tbsp of light soy sauce into a bowl.
4. Pour this bowl of seasoning over the duck and make sure to rub it all over inside out. You should do this preferably in a big container. Then leave the duck to marinate for 3 hrs or longer. The longer you do, the better it will taste.
After you marinated long enough, before cooking, transfer the duck out of the container, then add 6 cups of water into the remaining marinated stock. Mix the stock well.
5. Heat up the wok, and add 4tbsp sugar.
6. Then add 4tbsp of water. Let the sugar caramalise into a golden brown colour.
7. Add the marinated stock from the big container into the wok with caramalised sugar. Once you mix and stir the wok for around 10-15mins, and feel that the sugar has dissolved, add the garlic, galangal (blue ginger) and cinnamon sticks.
8. Add in the duck. Let it braise for 2hrs.
Tip: During this 2hrs, for every 1/2 hr you should over turn the duck with the help of a towel tissue by gripping the end of the thigh bones.
9. When the 2hrs is up, the duck should be well cooked and soft. Remove the duck from the wok.
Tip: If it is too heavy, please ask someone to assist. Also do note that you may wish to remove the top layer of natural excess oil left in the wok of marinated stock.
10. Chop up the duck by putting the bone parts at the bottom and meat portions on the top of the serving dish.
11. Prepare the hard boiled eggs. Peel the shells off. Strain the canned steamed peanuts. Cut the beancurd or tofu(tau kwa) into mouth sized blocks.
12. Add the hard bean curd (tau kwa/tofu), canned steamed peanuts and eggs into the wok of marinated stock. Let them braise for 10-15 minutes and then transfer them aside.
Like this!
13. Mix 3 tbsp of corn or potato starch with 3 tbsp of water into a bowl to create a solution.
14. Pour the corn/potato solution into the marinated stock to thicken it up into a gravy.
15. Now you can pour the gravy over the serving dish with the duck. At the same time, you may also pour the same gravy over another plate filled with your braised beancurd, peanuts and eggs. It is done!