Crispy Shredded Duck
2 min readXiang Su Ya
one 1.5kg-1.75kg Cherry Valley duckling, fresh or frozen
3tablespoons dark soy sauce
cornflour, for dusting
1.2 litres(2 pints) groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying MARINADE
2 tablespoons sea salt
1tablespoon five-spice powder
1tablespoon roasted ground Sichuan peppercorns
4tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
6whole spring onions
12 slices of fresh root ginger
TO SERVE
Flour Pancakes
shredded spring onions
hoisin sauce
This ever-popular dish takes time to make properly, but it is worth the effort. Steaming eliminates most of the duck’s fat, while the deep-frying gives it its characteristic crisp texture.
1. If the duck is frozen, leave it to thaw thoroughly. Rinse it well and blot it completely dry with kitchen paper.
2. Mix the salt, five-spice powder, Sichuan peppercorns and rice wine or sherry in a bowl. Rub this over theinside and outside of the duck. Put the spring onions and ginger inside the duck cavity. Cover with cling-film and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
3. Put the duck in a deep, heatproof dish. Set up a steamer or put a rack into a wok or deep saucepan. Fill the steamer, work or pan with about 5 cm (2 inches) of hot water. Bring the water to a simmer. Put the dish with the duck into the steamer or onto the rack. Cover the steamer, wok or pan tightly and gently steam over a medium heat for 2 hours. Replenish the water from time to time and empty the considerable amount of fat that will collect and discard.
4. Gently remove the duck from the steamer, wok or pan and leave to stand for at least 1 hour until cool. Using a cleaver or a sharp knife, cut the duck in half. Rub the skin with the soy sauce and dust with cornflour.
5. Heat a wok over a high heat until it is hot, then add the oil for deep-frying. When the oil is hot and slightly smoking, deep-fry half the duck on the skin side for 3 minutes until the skin is crispy and brown. Drain onkitchen paper. Deep-fry the other half. Leave the duck to cool for 5 minutes, then remove and shred the skin and meat, arrange it on a platter and serve with Flour Pancakes, shredded spring onions and hoisin sauce.
