Basic Red Simmered Duck Recipes

RED-SIMMERED DUCK WITH GLUTINOUS RICE

Steps:

• 1. Soak glutinous rice. 2. Wipe duck with a damp cloth. Place in a heavy pan with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil then cook, covered, 20 minutes over medium heat. Drain, discarding liquid. 3. Stuff duck cavity with soaked rice and sew up securely or skewer. Return duck to pan. 4. Add fresh water to cover and bring to a boil then simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Drain. (Reserve liquid for stock.) 5. Add soy sauce and sherry and simmer, covered, until tender (about 45 minutes more), turning bird frequently for even coloring. 6. Season with salt and pepper. Mince scallions and sprinkle over as a garnish. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Rinse the duck inside and out, and pat dry. Cut off tail and discard. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper and cloves. Sprinkle one teaspoon of the mixture into the cavity of the duck. Stir one tablespoon of the soy sauce into the remaining spice mixture and rub evenly over the entire outside of the bird. Cut one of the green onions in half and tuck inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate the bird for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Place duck breast side up on a rack in a big enough wok or pot and steam for an hour adding a little more water, if necessary, as it evaporates. Lift duck with two large spoons, and drain juices and green onion.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place duck breast side up in a roasting pan and prick skin all over using a fork.
• Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. While the duck is roasting, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and honey. After 30 minutes, brush the honey mixture onto the duck and return it to the oven. Turn the heat up to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Roast for 5 minutes, or until the skin is richly browned. Do not allow the skin to char.
• Prepare the duck sauce by mixing the plum jam with the sugar, vinegar and chutney in a small serving bowl. Chop remaining green onions and place them into a separate bowl. Place whole duck onto a serving platter and garnish with orange slices and fresh parsley. Use plum sauce and onions for dipping.

SIMMERED DUCK WITH CABBAGE & POTATO

Steps:

• Heat a small saucepan (one with a lid) on a medium heat. Season the breast, lay it skin side down in the pan and reduce the heat to the lowest it will go. Leave to sizzle for about 15 minutes, uncovered, until the skin is golden and crisp and has rendered most of its fat. Don't shake the pan or move the duck.
• Remove the duck (the meat side will be raw). Pour out just over half the fat (save it for frying vegetables another time) and turn up the heat slightly. Add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes until starting to crisp. Add the potato, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato looks sticky and has just started to brown at the edges.
• Tip in the cabbage and stir until glossy, then pour in the stock. Nestle the duck, skin side up, among the cabbage and potato and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the veg is tender and the duck cooked. Remove the duck from the pan and stir in the parsley and garlic. To serve, spoon the veg, bacon and juice on to a plate and sit the duck on top. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy the flavours of autumn.

BRAISED DUCK WITH SUGAR SNAPS

Steps:

• Turn on food processor and drop in ginger, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro. When minced, add onion and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat duck pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown duck in batches, skin side down first. Pour off and reserve all but a thin film of fat. Add onion mixture and sauté on low until soft. Stir in cumin. Add stock and deglaze pan. Return duck to pan, baste, bring to a simmer, cover and place in oven 11/2 hours, until duck is very tender.
• Remove casserole from oven and transfer duck to a platter, draining well. Use a large spoon to skim off as much fat as possible from pan juices, probably close to one cup. Reserve fat for other cooking. Add lime juice and season pan juices to taste. Return duck to casserole, baste and heat gently.
• Heat 1 tablespoon reserved duck fat in a skillet, add sugar snaps and stir-fry a couple of minutes, until they turn bright green. Transfer duck to a rimmed serving dish. Add sugar snaps to casserole, heat briefly and spoon with sauce over duck. Serve with rice.

BASIC RED-SIMMERED DUCK

Steps:

• 1. Wipe duck inside and out with a damp cloth. Place breast-side up in a heavy saucepan, tucking wings under body. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. 2. Meanwhile cut scallions in 3·inch sections and slice ginger root. Then add both, along with soy sauce, sherry and salt. Simmer, covered, 1 hour. 3. Turn bird over. Add sugar and simmer until done (about 1 hour more). 4. Cut breast meat against the grain in slices 1/2·inch thick. Arrange on a serving platter, reconstructing the shape of the breast. (Or chop duck, bones and all, in 2-inch sections.) Serve hot, with or without gravy. The gravy may be reserved for la ter use as a master sauce (see Seasonings and Sauces, *Master Sauce). Or serve cold. NOTE: The duck is done when the meat is so tender it nearly falls from the bones. VARIATIONS: * In step 1, use 1/3 stock, 2/3 water. * In step 2, add 5 dried black mushrooms (soaked) and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. * Use 12 to 15 whole scallions (trim root ends, but keep stalks and green leaves intact). Toss scallions in a mixture of 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sugar, then place in duck cavity with the ginger root. Bring to a boil as in step 1, then cook with seasonings as in steps 2 and 3. Serve bird whole with gravy. * For a smaller duck (3 to 4 pounds) use only 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sherry and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cook 1 1/2 hours, basting and turning for even coloring. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.