Wild Ginger Fragrant Duck Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare duck:
• Cut off wing tips with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Remove and discard excess fat from body cavity and neck, then rinse inside and out. Pat dry inside and out and press on breastbone to break it and flatten duck.
• Marinate duck:
• Heat peppercorn salt and five-spice powder in a dry skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until hot. Measure out 3 tablespoons and rub 1 tablespoon in body cavity and 2 tablespoons over outside of duck, including under wings and legs. Reserve remaining spiced salt for serving with duck.
• Put duck in a bowl and marinate, covered and chilled, 8 to 24 hours.
• Steam duck:
• Drain any liquid from cavity and put duck in glass pie plate. Rub rice wine over duck. Smash ginger and scallions with flat side of a large heavy knife, then put one third in duck cavity and scatter remainder over duck.
• Fill wok with enough water for rack to sit 1/2 inch above water and bring to a rolling boil. Wearing oven mitts, put pie plate with duck on rack over boiling water and cover wok with lid.
• Reduce heat to moderate and steam duck 2 hours, checking every half hour to siphon off fat and juices from around duck and in cavity with bulb baster and replenishing boiling water as necessary.
• Wearing oven mitts, remove pie plate from steamer. Discard ginger and scallions. Drain duck and cool in pie plate 15 minutes.
• Air-dry duck:
• Slide duck onto a rack set over a baking sheet (to catch juices) and pat dry with paper towels. Position duck in front of a fan and air-dry 2 hours, making sure air blows directly onto duck.
• Fry duck:
• Heat 2‚ inches oil in large wok or large pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F. Meanwhile, brush outside of duck with soy sauce, then dust with flour, gently knocking off excess.
• Dip mesh spoons in hot oil (to keep duck from sticking) before using them to gently lower duck into hot oil. Fry duck, spooning hot oil over top, 2 minutes. Carefully turn duck over and fry 1 minute more. With extreme care, remove duck from oil with mesh spoons, draining cavity, and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Heat oil to 400°F and fry duck a second time, in same manner, until dark brown and crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Again with extreme care, remove duck from oil with mesh spoons, draining cavity, and transfer to paper towels to drain briefly.
• Presentation:
• Serve duck with small dishes of reserved spiced salt for dipping.

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium-high. Score the skin-side of the duck with a knife in a lattice pattern, being sure not to cut through to the flesh. Season each breast with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Rub the skin side of each breast with a few tablespoons of the rub and place on the grill, rub side down, and grill until slightly charred and the skin begins to get crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the breasts over, brush with some of the glaze and continue grill to medium-rare doneness, another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the duck from the grill and brush with more of the glaze. Let rest for 5 minutes then slice 1/4-inch thick on the diagonal. Place the grilled green onions on a platter and top with the sliced duck breast. Serve with warm tortillas.
• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
• Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook until soft. Add the chili paste and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the honey and soy and cook until just combined and the honey has melted. Let cool before using.

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.

Steps:

• Score criss-crossed lines into the duck skin, then rub in the garam masala and ginger. Chill for 30 mins if you have time.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat a heavy, non-stick pan, then gently fry the duck, skin-side down, for 10 mins until the fat runs out. Pour off the excess fat halfway through. Transfer to a baking dish, roast, skinside up, for 10 mins, then leave to rest.
• While the duck is cooking, melt the butter in a pan. Add cumin seeds, fry for 2-3 mins, then stir in the rice for another few mins. Pour over the stock, cover partly with a lid, then simmer for 10-12 mins, adding the peas for the final 4 mins. When the rice is cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed, fork through the spring onions and some seasoning to taste. Slice the duck and serve with the rice and a spoonful of chutney.

Steps:

• Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove neck and giblets and save for another purpose. Remove excess fat from cavity and tail area and trim off a bit of flappy neck skin. Prick duck skin all over with tip of sharp paring knife, making sure not to penetrate meat.
• Mix together salt and 5-spice powder. Season interior of duck with 1 tablespoon salt mixture; use remainder to generously season exterior (you may have a little left over). Combine orange zest with grated ginger and garlic, then smear mixture inside cavity. Place orange wedges in cavity. Tie legs together. Secure neck flap with wooden skewer or toothpicks. Place duck on rack in roasting pan breast-side-up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring duck to room temperature and make the glaze: Bring orange juice, honey, sugar and soy sauce to a simmer. Add sliced ginger and star anise, then reduce mixture until you have a medium-thick syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Roast duck for 2 hours, carefully pouring off fat and turning duck over every 30 minutes. Paint with glaze and roast another 30 minutes (2 1/2 hours in all). Tent with foil if glaze begins to get too dark. Duck is done when temperature at thickest part of leg reads 165 degrees. Paint duck once more, keep warm and let rest 20 minutes. Use poultry shears to cut into quarters (remove backbone first) or carve in the traditional way, removing legs from carcass and slicing breast. Serve with mashed butternut squash if desired.

Steps:

• Trim duck breasts as necessary, removing extraneous fat or gristle. Score the skin side of the breast diagonally with a sharp knife.
• Season both sides of the duck breasts with salt, then sprinkle both sides evenly with five-spice powder. Mix together ginger and garlic and use it to slather the breasts. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or even overnight; bring back to room temperature before cooking.)
• Place a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, lay duck breast in it skin-side down. Let sizzle gently for 7 minutes, until skin is crisp and golden, adjusting heat as necessary to keep from getting too dark too quickly. Turn breast over and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer should register 125 degrees for medium rare. Remove from pan and let rest for 10 minutes on a warm plate. Drain fat from pan (reserve for another use if you wish).
• Make the sauce: Over medium heat, add shallots to same pan and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add sherry vinegar, brown sugar and half the blackberries, stirring until sugar is dissolved and berries have released their juice. Add chicken broth, raise heat and simmer rapidly until liquid is reduced by half and a bit syrupy. Strain the contents of the skillet into a small saucepan and keep warm.
• To serve, slice duck breast thinly across the grain on a diagonal and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with the rest of the blackberries.

Steps:

• Roast peppercorns in a dry frying pan over moderate heat until aromatic and they just begin to smoke. Do not burn. Put peppercorns in a blender or processor (or spice mill) for 90 seconds. Sieve to remove peppercorn husks, the duck will be gritty if you don't. Roast salt in a dry pan over moderate heat until light brown. Mix together the salt, peppercorns and five-spice powder. Reserve 2 tablespoons to serve with the finished duck. Rinse duck and pat dry with paper towels. Rub spices inside and out. Refrigerate overnight. To steam the duck: 2 whole green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths 2 inches fresh ginger root, sliced and gently crushed Put onions and ginger in cavity of the duck. Place the duck in a 9-inch glass pie plate. Fill a 14-inch wok with water, approximately 3 inches deep. Place a pair of chopsticks in an X pattern in the wok, set the pie plate on top, and cover with lid. Steam over high heat for 60 minutes. Check water level every 10 - 15 minutes. At the end of the steaming time, the duck is fragile and must be handled with care. Use a large fork to pick up the duck from inside the cavity, letting all juices drip into the pie plate; discard the juices (or save for a great gravy). Air-dry the duck for two to four hours. The duck will firm up and be easier to handle. To deep-fry the duck: Place 5 to 7 cups of peanut or corn oil (peanut tastes better) in the wok and heat to 375 degrees (or until it just begins to smoke). Gently slip the duck into the oil, being careful as spattering can occur. If the duck is not completely submerged, turn it over after 3 or 5 minutes and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. When the skin is golden brown, remove duck from oil and place on paper towels to blot excess oil. When the duck is just cool enough to handle, use a very sharp knife or cleaver to chop it in half on the long axis. Each half can then be chopped crosswise into six pieces. Serve with sweet plum sauce.