Teochew Braised Duck Image Used Under Creative Commons License From recipeswecherish.com
Citizens, it has been far too long since your magnificent leader – the supreme majesty that is TFD – has posted a recipe for his favorite fowl: duck! To rectify this terrible oversight on my part, here is a magnificent and tender duck recipe originating from Chaozhou Province of the People’s Republic of China.
Teochew cuisine, also known as Chiuchow cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine or Chaoshan cuisine, originated from the Chaoshan region in the eastern part of China’s Guangdong Province, which includes the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang.
Teochew cuisine bears more similarities to that of Fujian cuisine, with which it shares some dishes. This may be due to the similarity of Chaoshan’s and Fujian’s culture and language and to their geographic proximity. However, Teochew cuisine is also influenced by Cantonese cuisine in its style and technique.
Teochew cuisine is well known for its seafood and vegetarian dishes. Its use of flavoring is much less heavy-handed than most other Chinese cuisines and depends much on the freshness and quality of the ingredients for taste and flavor.
As a delicate cuisine, oil is not often used in large quantities and there is a relatively heavy emphasis on poaching, steaming and braising, as well as the common Chinese method of stir-frying.
Teochew cuisine is also known for serving congee (糜; mí; or mue), in addition to steamed rice or noodles with meals. The Teochew mue is rather different from the Cantonese counterpart, being very watery with the rice sitting loosely at the bottom of the bowl, while the Cantonese dish is more a thin gruel.
Authentic Teochew restaurants serve very strong oolong tea called Tieguanyin in very tiny cups before and after the meal. Presented as gongfu tea, the tea has a thickly bittersweet taste, colloquially known as gam gam (甘甘; gān gān).
A condiment that is popular in Fujian and Taiwanese cuisine and commonly associated with cuisine of certain Teochew groups is shacha sauce (沙茶酱; 沙茶醬; shāchá jiàng). It is made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilies, brill fish and dried shrimp. The paste has a savory and slightly spicy taste. As an ingredient, it has multiple uses: as a base for soups, as a rub for barbecued meats, as a seasoning for stir-fried dishes, or as a component for dipping sauces.
In addition to soy sauce (widely used in all Chinese cuisines), the Teochew diaspora in Southeast Asia use fish sauce in their cooking. It is used as a flavoring agent in soups and sometimes as a dipping sauce, as in Vietnamese spring rolls.
Teochew chefs often use a special stock called superior broth (上汤; 上湯; shàngtāng). This stock remains on the stove and is continuously replenished. Portrayed in popular media, some Hong Kong chefs allegedly use the same superior broth that is preserved for decades. This stock can as well be seen on Chaozhou TV’s cooking programx.
There is a notable feast in Teochew cuisine called jiat dot (食桌; shízhuō; “food table”). A myriad of dishes are often served, which include shark fin soup, bird’s nest soup, lobster, steamed fish, roasted suckling pig and braised goose.
Teochew chefs take pride in their skills of vegetable carving, and carved vegetables are used as garnishes on cold dishes and on the banquet table.
Teochew cuisine is also known for a late night meal known as meh siao (夜宵; yèxiāo) or daa laang (打冷; dǎléng) among the Cantonese. Teochew people enjoy eating out close to midnight in restaurants or at roadside food stalls. Some dai pai dong-like eateries stay open till dawn.
Unlike the typical menu selections of many other Chinese cuisines, Teochew restaurant menus often have a dessert section.
Many people of Chaoshan origin, also known as Teochiu or Teochew people, have settled in Hong Kong and places in Southeast Asia like Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand. Influences they bring can be noted in Singaporean cuisine and that of other settlements.
A large number of Teochew people have also settled in Taiwan, evident in Taiwanese cuisine. Other notable Teochew diaspora communities are in Vietnam and France. There is also a large diaspora of Teochew people (most were from Southeast Asia) in the United States – particularly in California. There is a Teochew Chinese Association in Paris called L’Amicale des Teochews en France.
Citizens, my version of this classic recipe is traditional and flavorful beyond measure – I know it will favor with you, your family and your guests!
A thumbs-length knob of peeled galangal, sliced thinly or if unavailable use 1 Tbsp of peeled Ginger (minced)
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon stick
5 star anise
10 cloves
6 Tbsp shaved Gula Melaka (Dark Palm Sugar) – If unavailable, try jaggery or dark brown sugar
1 cup dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 ½ Tbsp five spice powder
1 Tbsp of Oyster Sauce
6 eggs, preferably duck eggs, hardboiled and shelled
6 pieces of tau pok, tofu puffs
3 pieces of tau kwa (extra firm tofu)
6 dried top-quality Shiitake Mushrooms (rehydrated in hot water)
2 Star Anise
1 Cinnamon Stick
½ tsp of Ground Black Pepper
4 Cups of Water (or just enough to cover duck)
2 Tbsp of Grapeseed Oil (or peanut oil)
Instructions
Marinate the duck the night before. Wash and pat dry the duck. Rub 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon five spice powder all over the duck both on the outside and inside. Stuff a few slices of galangal in the cavity. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the duck from the refrigerator one hour before cooking and bring it to room temperature.
Heat 3 Tbsp oil in the wok over medium high heat. Stir fry the galangal, ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick, anise, and cloves until fragrant. Add the sugar and stir fry until the sugar caramelizes and turns brownish.
Depending on your liking, you can caramelize the sugar until the shade of dark chocolate. Add in some water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Don’t worry if the sugar crystalizes as it will dissolve again but be careful of adding water to the hot oil. You should have a brownish shade of braising liquid.
Add the light and dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and five spice powder. Bring to a boil and add the duck. Prick the skin with a bamboo skewer. Turn the duck over every 5 minutes to ensure the skin is evenly coated with the sauce. Continue for another 15 minutes.
Pour sufficient water to submerge ½ to 2/3 of the duck in it lengthwise. Do not add too much water in attempt to drown the whole bird. That would dilute the sauce by too much, watering down all the flavors quite literally.
Throw in the whole spices of bay leaves, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick and garlic cloves. I like to use the old variety, pre-peeled in the store as it has a more full-bodied and robust taste compared to the fresher whitish ones chopped up for stir-fry dishes.
Cover the wok with a lid and allow the duck to slowly simmer over low heat for about 20 mins.
Meanwhile, cut the tau kwa lengthwise into rectangular cubes.
Turn the duck after 20 mins by propping it up from the wok with 2 chopsticks clasped under the wings and slowly sliding it back in again on the other side. Doing this without making a mess requires quite a bit of practice. Continue to simmer over low heat for another 20 mins. Tasting the sauce may be performed at this juncture. Add salt or light soya sauce to attune the flavors to one’s liking.
Add tau kwa, hardboiled eggs and tau pok at this point. Check the flavor and add salt and sugar to season to your taste.
Repeat the turning process and after returning the duck into the wok, and allow the ingredients to simmer with the duck for the last 20 min. Do remember that apart from the initial bringing ingredients to a boil after the addition of water, the duck is simmered under low heat afterwards.
Finally after an hour of so of slow simmering, the duck should be more or less ready. The meat should be rather firm and succulent. If one likes the meat to be softer and more tender, continue to cook for another 15- 20 mins.
Remove the duck, eggs, and tofu place them on a large plate or baking dish to cool before carving. Do not attempt chop up the duck while it is still hot.
Transfer the strained residual broth into a pot after the duck is removed. Add more water if required or if you prefer, reduce the liquid down to make a thicker sauce.
The hard-boiled eggs, tau kwa and tau pok pieces are cut up and served alongside the duck, drizzled with the braising liquid.
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