Eight-Treasure Gourd Duck

Name: Eight-Treasure Gourd Duck
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 young duck (cleaned and deboned while keeping the whole bird intact); 150 g round-grain glutinous rice (rinsed, soaked until swollen, and blanched); 30 g cooked ham (cut into 0.5 cm dice); 15 g dried shrimp (washed, soaked in boiling water, and diced); 20 g coix seed (Job's tears) (rinsed and soaked in boiling water until swollen); 100 g fresh green peas (blanched in boiling water and peeled); 30 g rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (cut into 0.5 cm dice); 20 g fox nuts (gorgon fruit) (rinsed and soaked in boiling water until swollen); 25 g lotus seeds (peeled, pitted, and steamed until tender); 25 g dried lily bulbs (rinsed and soaked in boiling water until swollen); 250 g peeled carrots (cut into sections and carved into gourd shapes); 250 g celtuce (cut into sections and carved into gourd shapes); 15 g Shaoxing cooking wine; 25 g cooked shredded kelp; 1 cherry tomato (cut into 4-petal flower shapes); 5.5 g Sichuan salt (used in batches); 15 g ginger (used in batches); 15 g scallions (used in batches); 5 g MSG (used in batches); 3.5 g white pepper (used in batches); 350 g milk broth (used in batches); 20 g cornstarch slurry; 15 g chicken oil

A traditional Sichuan specialty: a whole duck is deboned, filled with eight-treasure stuffing, shaped into a gourd, steamed, and served with a thickened sauce poured over it.

3h 30m

Easy

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Ingredients

young duck (cleaned and deboned while keeping the whole bird intact) 1

round-grain glutinous rice (rinsed, soaked until swollen, and blanched) 150 g

cooked ham (cut into 0.5 cm dice) 30 g

dried shrimp (washed, soaked in boiling water, and diced) 15 g

coix seed (Job's tears) (rinsed and soaked in boiling water until swollen) 20 g

fresh green peas (blanched in boiling water and peeled) 100 g

rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (cut into 0.5 cm dice) 30 g

fox nuts (gorgon fruit) (rinsed and soaked in boiling water until swollen) 20 g

lotus seeds (peeled, pitted, and steamed until tender) 25 g

dried lily bulbs (rinsed and soaked in boiling water until swollen) 25 g

peeled carrots (cut into sections and carved into gourd shapes) 250 g

celtuce (cut into sections and carved into gourd shapes) 250 g

Shaoxing cooking wine 15 g

cooked shredded kelp 25 g

cherry tomato (cut into 4-petal flower shapes) 1

Sichuan salt (used in batches) 5.5 g

ginger (used in batches) 15 g

scallions (used in batches) 15 g

MSG (used in batches) 5 g

white pepper (used in batches) 3.5 g

milk broth (used in batches) 350 g

cornstarch slurry 20 g

chicken oil 15 g

Instructions

Preparing the Duck and Filling

Debone the cleaned duck using the whole-bird deboning method. Remove the scent gland, feet, and vent, then wash and pat dry. Rub evenly with 1.5 g Sichuan salt, 10 g ginger, 10 g scallions, Shaoxing cooking wine, and 1 g white pepper, and marinate for 20 minutes. Blanch the fresh peas in boiling water, drain, cool in cold water, and peel. Rinse the glutinous rice, soak until swollen, and blanch briefly. Peel the lotus seeds, remove their centers, and steam until tender. Rinse the coix seed, fox nuts, and lily bulbs, then soak them in boiling water until swollen. Rinse the dried shrimp and soak them in boiling water. Dice the ham, dried shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms into 0.5 cm pieces, and cut the cherry tomato into 4-petal flower shapes.

Stuffing and Shaping

Combine the glutinous rice, lotus seeds, coix seed, fox nuts, ham, dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, peas, and lily bulbs. Add 1 g Sichuan salt, 1.5 g white pepper, and 3 g MSG, and mix evenly. Pack the filling into the duck cavity and tuck the neck skin inside, leaving only the bill exposed. Tie hemp cord below the bill and around the waist so the duck has a small top and large bottom, forming a gourd shape. Seal the opening and the vent with slender bamboo skewers.

Steaming

Briefly blanch the shaped duck in boiling water. Rub the skin with 2 g Sichuan salt, 0.5 g white pepper, and 5 g each of ginger and scallions. Place the duck in a large dish and steam in a steamer for about 2 hours.

Preparing the Garnishes

Cut the carrots and celtuce into 4.5 cm lengths, making 6 pieces from each vegetable, and carve them into gourd shapes. Blanch the pieces until just tender, then drain. Simmer them in 100 g milk broth with 1 g Sichuan salt and 1 g MSG until thoroughly cooked. Drain the vegetables and tie a strip of cooked shredded kelp around the waist of each gourd.

Thickening and Saucing

Remove the duck from the steamer, discard the cord and skewers, and arrange it on a large oval platter. Arrange the carrot and celtuce gourds around the duck. Heat a wok over high heat, add the remaining milk broth and the juices released during steaming, and season with salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil, add MSG, and thicken with the cornstarch slurry to a silky consistency. Drizzle in the chicken oil, pour the sauce over the duck and vegetable gourds, and place the cherry tomato flowers on top.