Sticky Duck With Chinese Pickled Radishes Recipes

OVERNIGHT CHINESE DAIKON RADISH PICKLES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, toss daikon with salt. Cover, and refrigerate until 1 to 2 tablespoons of water is released, about 30 minutes.
• Drain and rinse daikon, removing as much salt as possible. Pat dry with a paper towel, and return to bowl. Stir in rice vinegar, black pepper and, if desired, sesame oil. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

QUICK PICKLED RADISHES

Steps:

• Place radish slices into a pint-sized jar with a lid.
• Heat vinegar and water in a small non-reactive saucepan over medium heat; whisk in sugar and salt until just dissolved. Remove from heat and add star anise pod, cumin seed, and black peppercorns. Let cool slightly for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Pour liquid over radishes. Cover and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

STICKY DUCK WITH CHINESE PICKLED RADISHES

Steps:

• Put the radishes in a sieve over a bowl. Sprinkle with the caster sugar and 2 tsp salt, and leave for at least 30 mins or up to 1 hr. Make a dressing by mixing the vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and chilli together until the sugar dissolves. Gently press the radishes to release any liquid, then tip them into a bowl and pour over the dressing.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. For the duck, mix the honey, soy, rice wine and vinegar in a small bowl. Slash the skin of the duck breasts and season with salt, pepper and the five-spice powder. Heat an ovenproof frying pan and cook the duck, skin-side down, for 5 mins until golden. Flip over, baste with the honey and soy mix, then put the pan in the oven for 15-20 mins, turning the breasts a couple of times to glaze the skin. Leave the duck in the pan to rest.
• For the radish leaves, heat the oil in a small wok, add the leaves and garlic, and stir-fry until the leaves are just wilted. Splash with soy, drizzle with sesame oil and scatter with sesame seeds. Serve the duck breasts whole or sliced - it's up to you - with the pickled radishes and the stir-fried leaves.

CRISPY FRAGRANT DUCK WITH PICKLED RADISH SALAD

Steps:

• To make the marinade: Put the garlic, rice wine, honey, chile sauce, light soy sauce, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice into a bowl or resealable plastic food bag, and set aside.
• To make the duck: Add the duck legs to the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in the refrigerator to marinate for as long as possible, preferably overnight.
• To make the salad: Put the radish, cucumber, chile, if using, cilantro, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and rice wine, in a bowl and toss to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• To finish the duck: Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the duck legs, skin side up, in a roasting pan, and roast for 10 minutes. Then, raise the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees F for 5 minutes to cook the meat to well done. Remove the duck from the oven, and set aside for 2 minutes, to cool slightly.
• Cut the duck meat into bite-sized slices, and dust the slices in the flour to coat well.
• Heat a wok or heavy-bottomed pan over a high heat, and fill it to a quarter of its depth with enough groundnut oil.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F, or until a cube of bread dropped in it turns golden brown in 15 seconds. Place the duck pieces in a spider scoop or wire strainer, and lower them into the oil and fry until crispy, and golden brown. Remove the duck from the pan, and drain on an absorbent kitchen towel to remove the excess oil.
• To serve, spoon some pickled radish salad onto a serving plate and lay some of the crispy duck slices over the top. Sprinkle a pinch of salt, and some dried chile flakes over the duck pieces and serve immediately.