Turkey and goose are fairly common Christmas meats as well as ham and perhaps even roast beef. Occasionally, it's good to mix it up and try to cook up some duck.
This recipe is great for a new Christmas main, or perhaps into the Chinese New Year, to be celebrated in February of 2008. The Chinese New Year is a time to forget the old and celebrate incoming luck. Only whole animals are eaten at this time and that means a whole chicken or fish, too.
Other Chinese New Year recipes include: Hainanese Chicken Rice, Pork Dumplings and Steamed Whole Fish. Festive recipes: Pineapple Christmas Tarts, Cashew Nut Cookies, Festive Asian Appetizers, Celebratory Sweets , Christmas Drinks with an Asian Spin and Filipino Rice Cakes.
Domesticated ducks are descended form the wild mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), except for the muscovy duck. Many domestic breeds have grown larger than their wild ancestor, with a hull length - from base of neck to base of tail - of 30 cm (12 inches) or more.
By the way, the most common duck eaten in North America is the Pekin Duck. It was bred from a mallard in China and several were brought to the U.S. in 1873.
Duck has less meat than a roasting chicken of the same size. The majority of meat on a duck is mostly in the breast and the legs. The meat of the legs is darker and somewhat fattier than the meat of the breasts.
Note: when portioning roast duck, give about a quarter of the duck per person.
Duck meat is fattier which makes it good tasting!
This recipe is for stuffed duck and comes from my mother – as you can tell, this home-cooked recipe doesn't have exact measurements, all the more authentic.
First of all, buy a whole duck from Chinatown and follow these instructions.
PEI-PA DUCK
Directions
- Cut duck along centre & clean the duck. Use chopsticks to spread out along breast
- Rub inside with salt - no salt on the skin. Pour boiling water over skin.
- Hang to dry. Or, put it on a the rack of a roasting pan and leave it in the refrigerator.
Marinade
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey
- 3/4 of a Chinese rice bowl white vinegar
- Few drops of black soy sauce
- Few drops of rice wine, sherry or wine of your choice
Pour over duck three times and marinate overnight.
Stuffing
1 tablespoon of each of the following:
- Lam Yu (preserved red bean curd)
- Hoisin sauce
- Taucheo / Teo Cheong (salted and preserved soy beans, available in bottles)
- grated orange peel
Directions
- Rub the stuffing the inside of the duck.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour or until brown or cooked.
- First place the inside of the duck, face up, on the rack for 15 minutes.
- Then place the duck with the skin up so that the skin will be crispy.
