Crispy duck

More fried goodness!!!! I was stoked to learn that my local butcher carried duck. It is only shipped from somewhere else, frozen, but you can't ask for the whole world in rural Utah. I have done this recipe twice now, and I must say it is completely delicious but I kind of a pain in the but....kinda.

I took a day trip to the town over and went to a small little Oriental store. I stocked up on soy sauce, red bean paste, eel sauce, egg noodles...the list goes on. Most exciting of all, I treated myself to a new Wok! Along with the crispy duck I served fried rice from my new beauty, which did not make a final photo shoot because we were too busy eating it while it was hot.

This recipe is taken from The Food of China by Deh-Ta Hsiung and Nina Simonds. This was an thrift store find, just packed with recipes and beautiful photos.

Crispy Duck:

4-5 lb duck
8 scallions, ends trimmed, smashed with flat cleaver
8 slices ginger, smashed
3 T rice wine vinegar
2 T salt
2 t sichuan peppercorns
1 star anise, smashed
2 T soy sauce
1 C corn starch
oil for deep frying (I used part peanut oil part vegie oil)
condiment of choice such as hoisin sauce (I used Eal sauce and it was delicious)

Combine scallions, ginger, rice wine, salt, peppercorns, and star anise. Rub all over duck and let the duck sit face down into the marinade in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, but I let sit overnight. Put the duck into a steamer and let it steam over simmering water for 1 1/2 hours or until it reaches 160 degrees. I used a stock pot that has a separate steaming basket to place the duck in. You might have to add more water in the process.

Remove the duck and let it cool. Rub the corn starch all over the duck, pressing firmly into the skin. Let the duck dry for a couple of hours uncovered in the fridge.

Fill a wok or large pot 1/4 full of oil. Heat the oil to 350-375 degrees then lower duck into. Ladle oil onto the top of duck and flip the duck over when the bottom is getting golden and crispy. Drain the duck onto a plate, serve with condiment and in my case fried rice.

Veggies for my fried rice