Hangzhou Soy Sauce Duck
Hangzhou-style braised duck with a deep reddish-brown hue, fragrant and richly glazed, with a lingering savory finish.
Ingredients
Fat duck (cut off the duck feet, hook the duck's nostril with a small iron hook, and hang in a ventilated place to dry)
1 (about 2500 g)
Refined salt (mixed with saltpeter)
50 g
Baijiu (Chinese liquor)
15 g
Sugar (for the final steaming)
10 g
Light soy sauce (for marinating)
1500 g
Saltpeter (mixed with refined salt)
0.25 g
Scallion segments (for the final steaming)
5 g
Ginger pieces (for the final steaming)
5 g
Instructions
1
Salting the Duck
Slaughter the duck and wash it thoroughly. Cut off the duck feet, hook the duck's nostril with a small iron hook, and hang it in a ventilated place to dry. Mix the refined salt and saltpeter together, rub the mixture evenly all over the outside of the duck, and place it in a jar. Cover with a bamboo grate and weigh it down with a heavy stone. Marinate at 0°C for 36 hours, then flip the duck and marinate for another 36 hours. Remove from the jar and pour out all the brine from the cavity.
2
Soy Sauce Marinating
Return the salted duck to the jar and pour in the light soy sauce until the duck is fully submerged. Place a bamboo grate on top and weigh it down with a heavy stone. Keep at around 0°C for 48 hours, then flip the duck and marinate for another 48 hours before removing from the jar.
3
Sun-drying
Rinse the duck with the soy sauce brine until it turns a dark red color, then lift it out and drain thoroughly. Sun-dry for two to three days.
4
Steaming
Place the soy duck on a large platter and drizzle the Shaoxing wine over it. Add the sugar, scallion segments, and ginger pieces. Steam over high heat until fine cracks appear on the duck wings, indicating it is cooked through. Pour out the brine from the cavity, let cool, then cut into pieces and arrange on a plate to serve.
