Zhangcha Duck

A duck cured, smoked, steamed and then fried, where each of the four stages undoes a problem the one before it created.

Duck. Not vegetarian — contains duck.

Ingredients

For the cure

• 1 whole duck, about 2 kg
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon five spice
• 30 ml Shaoxing wine

For the smoke

• 60 g jasmine tea leaves
• 100 g uncooked rice
• 60 g brown sugar
• a handful of wood chips if you have them

To finish

• 2 litres flavourless oil, for frying
• steamed pancakes, to serve

Method

1. FOUR STAGES AND EACH ONE REPAIRS THE LAST. The cure draws water out and seasons deep but leaves the duck raw. The smoke gives it everything it tastes of but toughens the skin and cooks nothing. The steaming cooks it through and renders the fat but leaves the skin soft and slack. The fry, ninety seconds at the end, crisps that skin. Skip any one and the dish fails in a way the others cannot fix.
2. Peppercorns and salt toasted dry in a pan over a low heat until they smell sharp, about 3 minutes, then ground coarse with the five spice.
3. Duck rubbed inside and out with the wine, then with the spiced salt, worked well into the legs and under the wings.
4. Covered and into the fridge 24 hours, turned once.
5. Rinsed, patted dry, and left uncovered in the fridge 4 hours so the surface dries. SMOKE WILL NOT STICK TO A WET SKIN and the colour comes out patchy.
6. A wok or deep pan lined with two layers of foil, the tea, rice, sugar and chips spread on the bottom. A rack above them, the duck on the rack breast up, lid on and the gap sealed with a wet cloth or more foil.
7. High heat until it smokes properly, then medium for 20 minutes. Heat off, lid left on another 15. Do this with a window open; it makes a great deal of smoke.
8. The duck will be deep amber and still raw. That is correct at this stage.
9. Onto a plate in a steamer and steamed 90 minutes, until a leg moves freely in its socket. Pour away the fat that collects and keep it for something else.
10. Cooled completely and patted dry, inside and out. WET DUCK INTO HOT OIL IS DANGEROUS and this one has just come out of a steamer, so take the time.
11. Oil to 190C. The duck lowered in on a spider or slotted spoon, 90 seconds to 2 minutes, basting the top with hot oil if it is not submerged. It will darken quickly.
12. Drained, rested 10 minutes, then chopped through the bone and eaten with steamed pancakes.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under China · All recipes