Cantonese Pressed Duck Recipes

CHINATOWN STEAMED AND ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Duck is notoriously a fatty bird, to diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the neck and body. Rinse the duck, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Salt and five-spice powder makes a fragrant dry marinade, which draws some of the moisture from the duck so that the spices penetrate. Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics: the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel. Fold the wing tips back under the duck and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Poke the duck breast a few times, piercing the skin.
• Place a roasting pan on the stovetop over 2 burners and fill with 2-inches of water, turn the heat to medium. Set a V-rack insert inside the pan and lay the duck on the rack, breast-side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking the water level periodically. Steaming the duck first melts away some of the fat and shrinks the skin.
• In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce over low heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until thick. The duck will be lacquered with the sweet glaze, which caramelizes during roasting, making the skin crisp and brown.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Take the foil off the duck, remove the rack with the duck, and pour out the water and all the fat that has rendered out (this is great to use in other dishes like fried rice.) Put the rack with the duck back inside the roasting pan. Baste the duck with the vinegar mixture, until all the skin is completely coated in the glaze. Stick the whole thing in the oven. Roast the duck for 1 hour, basting periodically with any remaining glaze to set in a deep mahogany color. Tent the breast with some foil if it gets too dark. The legs will wiggle easily when it's done. Carve and serve.

CANTONESE PRESSED DUCK

Steps:

• 1. Place the duck in a large pot; add water to cover. To the water, add the star anise, green onions, ginger root, soy sauces, salt. Cover, turn to high heat. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium, cook duck for 2 hours or until tender. Remove the duck; cool. Skin, debone, shred the duck meat.(Madame Wu adds as an aside here: "If, like many Chinese, you enjoy the skin, leave some of it on as it will produce a crisper texture when deep-fried.") 2. Pack the shredded duck into a square cooking pan to a 3/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle cornstarch generously over one side, then turn it over and do the same on the other side until completely coated. Heat water to boiling in the bottom of a steamer. Place the duck in the top section, cover, steam 30 minutes. Remove, cool; refrigerate overnight. 3. The next day, take the duck out of the refrigerator, cut into 4 quarters and drain on paper toweling so there will be no moisture to splatter. In a deep-fryer, heat the 2 quarts of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Add the duck quarters, deep-fry for 10 minutes, then remove with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Cut into 1-inch squares, place on a serving platter. 4. While the duck is deep-frying, prepare the sweet and sour sauce. Mix together the vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, red food coloring. Pour into a skillet; bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch and water blend, cook until the syrup thickens to the desired consistency. Pour the sauce over the duck, sprinkle with crushed almonds, serve immediately.

CANTONESE ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Cut off duck's wing tips and 2nd joints.
• Combine bean sauce through anise and rub the inside of the duck with the mixture.
• Sew the neck and tail openings securely.
• Bring 6 cups water to a boil.
• Place duck on a rack in your sink and pour 3 cups boiling water over the breast; turn over and pour on the rest of the boiling water so that all parts of the duck have been exposed to boiling water.
• Pat the duck dry.
• Combine vinegar and honey with 1 cup water; heat, stirring to blend smoothly; brush duck all over with the mixture.
• Slip a loop of string around the duck's neck and hang in a dry place overnight.
• Pre-heat oven to 450°F.
• Put the duck back-side-down on a rack in a roasting pan and roast at 450°F 6-10 minutes until golden brown.
• Turn with a towel (NOT a fork).
• Roast 8-10 minutes longer, making sure the duck does not burn.
• Reduce heat to 350°F and turn the duck onto its back once more, tent with foil and roast 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 300°F; roast 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 250°F; roast until tender (if used, a meat thermometer stuck in thickest part of thigh should register almost 180°F).
• Now increase heat to 450°F, remove foil and roast 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and serve hot.

ALMOND ROASTED DUCK WITH CHINESE SPICES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Pat the duck dry and prick all over with a fork.
• Insert the garlic and orange wedges into the cavity of the duck.
• In a small bowl, combine the almond syrup, soy sauce, and 5-spice powder.
• Rub or brush the almond mixture onto the duck. Sprinkle the duck with salt and pepper and place the duck on a rack, breast side down, in a roasting pan.
• Roast the duck, breast side down, in a preheated oven for 40 minutes, then turn the duck, breast side up, and continue to roast for 1 hour.
• The skin should be dark and crispy.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Serve the duck breast and legs whole for an elegant entree, or chop up the duck into bite-sized pieces and serve with spicy chutney as an appetizer.