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Braised Duck with Young Ginger

Name: Braised Duck with Young Ginger
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 250 - 300 g young ginger; 1 duck; 1 cup water; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 2 tbsp cooking wine; 1 tbsp doubanjiang; 1 tbsp suger; 50 g pickled radish

A traditional rural Sichuan dish that celebrates the natural richness of duck. The duck is slowly braised with plenty of tender young ginger, allowing the ginger’s fresh, bright aroma to balance the duck’s deep flavor and remove its gamey smell. The result is tender, savory duck with a clean, fragrant finish between rich duck and lively young ginger that brings out a uniquely fresh, savory flavor.

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 75 min

Servings: 6

Difficulty: Medium

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https://cookandlivewell.com/en/recipes/braised-duck-with-young-ginge/

About This Recipe

A traditional home-style dish from rural Sichuan, this recipe lets the natural flavor of duck remain at the center. The duck is first cooked in its own rendered fat, then slowly braised until tender, allowing its rich, savory flavor to develop without being overwhelmed by heavy seasoning.

Young ginger is the key to the dish. Its fresh, fragrant flavor balances the richness of the duck and helps remove its strong smell. As the two cook together, the richness of the duck and the freshness of the young ginger come together to create a distinctive, deeply savory flavor—the kind of simple combination that makes this lesser-known dish worth remembering.

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Ingredients

250 - 300 g young ginger (sliced)
1 duck (about 2,500g)
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp cooking wine
1 tbsp doubanjiang (optional)
1 tbsp suger
50 g pickled radish (sliced)

Instructions

Wash 250 g young ginger and slice it. Set aside. Slice the pickled radish as well. (Optional—if you don’t have it, you can leave it out.)
Remove any remaining feathers from the whole duck by searing/burning them off. Cut the duck into large pieces and rinse thoroughly several times to remove most of the blood. Drain well.
Cut away the duck fat and the fattiest parts of the duck, then cut the fat into small pieces. Put the fat into a wok or frying pan and cook over medium-low heat until the fat renders out. Pour the rendered duck fat into a bowl and reserve for another use.
Without washing the wok, add the duck pieces. Stir-fry over high heat until the surface is browned and some of the fat has rendered out. If you prefer stronger seasoning, add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Add 1 cup water, ¼ cup light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cooking wine, 1 tablespoon doubanjiang (fermented broad bean chili paste, optional), and 1 tablespoon sugar to a clay pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Transfer the duck from Step 4 into the boiling clay pot. Pour the remaining liquid from the wok through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any solids and foam, then add the strained liquid to the clay pot.
Add the sliced young ginger and pickled radish to the clay pot. Stir well to combine with the duck.
Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 60–75 minutes. Stir or turn the duck pieces partway through cooking so that the meat on top is moved to the bottom. If the liquid dries out, add a little more water. Continue cooking until the duck is very tender and easily pulls apart.