Celestial Duck
A classic signature dish from Shandong's Kong Family Mansion, this recipe is steamed over boiling water to retain its original savory broth and fresh flavor, yielding melt-tender, fall-apart meat.
Ingredients
Fresh stuffed duck (washed, entrails removed, small leg bone rings cracked, large bones of duck feet removed, tongue and esophagus pulled out, beak tip chopped off, anus and duck glands cut off)
1
Ham (cut into 5 cm long, 2 cm wide slices)
to taste
Winter bamboo shoots (cut into 5 cm long, 2 cm wide slices)
to taste
Dried shiitake mushrooms (stems removed, washed, cut in half)
to taste
Matsutake mushrooms (stems removed, washed, cut in half)
to taste
Clear soup
1250 g
Fine salt
to taste
Shaoxing wine
to taste
Soy sauce
to taste
Scallions
to taste
Ginger
to taste
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
to taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Wash the fresh stuffed duck thoroughly, remove the entrails, crack the small leg bone rings, remove the large bones of the duck feet, pull out the tongue and esophagus, chop off the beak tip and cut off the anus and duck glands. Score several cuts along the spine bone, flip over and pat the breast meat several times. Place in a pot, bring to a boil over low heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove and rinse off the oil residue in cold water.
2
Step 2
Cut the ham and winter bamboo shoots into slices 5 cm long and 2 cm wide. Remove the stems from the dried shiitake and matsutake mushrooms, wash them, and cut in half.
3
Step 3
Chop through the duck's backbone and place it at the bottom of a clay pot. Set the duck breast-up on top of the bones. Arrange the matsutake mushrooms in a row on the duck's belly. Place the winter bamboo shoots, ham, and dried shiitake mushrooms on each side of the matsutake. Pour the clear soup, fine salt, Shaoxing wine, and soy sauce into the clay pot. Add the scallions and ginger. Cover the opening of the clay pot tightly with glassine paper and tie it securely. Place in a steamer and steam until cooked through. Remove the clay pot, take off the paper, discard the scallions and ginger, sprinkle with MSG, skim off the surface oil, and serve immediately.
