Immortal Duck
A classic Sichuan dish: tender duck is slowly braised in a sealed jar with ham and dried mushrooms until the bones turn tender and the meat falls apart, yielding a rich, fragrant flavor.
Ingredients
Tender fat duck (cleaned)
1
Ham (sliced)
to taste
Bamboo shoot slices
to taste
Dried shiitake mushrooms
to taste
Rock sugar caramel
to taste
Sichuan salt
to taste
Soy sauce
to taste
Ginger (smashed)
to taste
Scallion (knotted)
to taste
Shaoxing wine
to taste
Clear broth
to taste
Monosodium glutamate
to taste
Sesame oil
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the ingredients
Smash the ginger and knot the scallions. Take a large steaming bowl and lay a piece of clean cheesecloth over it.
2
Arrange the main ingredients
First lay the ham slices in a row following the natural grain, then arrange the bamboo shoot slices and dried shiitake mushrooms on each side of the ham. Place the duck on the bed with the breast facing down and pressed close to the ham. Gather the opposite corners of the cheesecloth to wrap everything into a knot and set the bundle into a pot.
3
Cook the duck
Add the rock sugar caramel, Sichuan salt, soy sauce, ginger, scallion, Shaoxing wine, and clear broth to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat for 20 minutes, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the bones are loose and the meat is tender.
4
Reduce the sauce
Lift out the cheesecloth bundle and untie it. Flip the duck onto a large round serving plate and peel away the cheesecloth. Pour the cooking liquid from the pot into a wok and reduce it until thickened, then stir in the monosodium glutamate and sesame oil. Pour the finished sauce over the duck and serve.
