All recipes › Braised duck rice

How to cook Braised duck rice

Braised duck rice is a Teochew-style hawker plate of tender duck simmered in a dark, fragrant soy-based braising liquid, served with rice, a garlicky chilli-vinegar dip, pickled greens and braised extras like egg and tofu. This home version braises a whole duck in a big pot so you can make the rice, sauce and sides from the same liquid.

Ingredients

For the duck and braising liquid

• 1 (about 1.8 kg) whole duck, thawed if frozen, innards removed
• 2 tbsp coarse salt, for scrubbing the duck
• 1.5 litres water
• 150 ml light soy sauce
• 100 ml dark soy sauce
• 60 g rock sugar, or 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 80 g galangal, thickly sliced
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 4 star anise
• 2 sticks (each about 8 cm) cinnamon
• 6 cloves
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, optional
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

For the braised extras

• 4 eggs
• 2 blocks (about 300 g) firm tofu
• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, stems trimmed

For the garlic-chilli dip

• 6 cloves garlic
• 4 red chillies, deseeded for a milder dip
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp lime or calamansi juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp cooled braising liquid or hot water

For the rice

• 400 g jasmine rice
• 500 ml water
• 2 tbsp duck fat skimmed from the braising liquid, or cooking oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt

For serving

• 300 g mustard greens (kai choy) or choy sum, blanched, optional
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 small bunch coriander
• 1 bottle (about 300 g) pickled green chillies in vinegar or sliced pickled mustard greens, optional

Steps

1. Prepare the duck10 min
   Trim any large pockets of fat from around the cavity opening and neck. Rub the duck all over with the coarse salt for 1 minute, then rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off the tail tip, which can taste gamey.
2. Brown the aromatics3 min
   Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven (about 5 litres, wide enough to hold the duck) over medium heat. Fry the galangal and garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden, then add the star anise, cinnamon, cloves and both peppercorns and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Build the braising liquid8 min
   Pour in the Shaoxing wine, then the water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and rock sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then lower to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes so the spices release their flavour.
4. Braise the duck30 min
   Lower the duck breast-side down into the pot; the liquid should come at least two-thirds of the way up the duck. Top up with a little hot water if needed. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, with just a few bubbles breaking the surface.
5. Turn and continue braising1 hr
   Carefully turn the duck breast-side up using two wooden spoons. Spoon some liquid over the exposed top, cover and simmer on low for another 45 to 60 minutes. The duck is done when a skewer slides into the thickest part of the thigh with no resistance and the juices run clear, and the meat reads at least 74 C on a thermometer.
6. Cook the eggs12 min
   While the duck braises, boil the eggs in a separate pot of water for 9 minutes, then cool in cold water and peel. Set aside.
7. Add the extras30 min
   About 30 minutes before the duck is done, add the peeled eggs, the soaked shiitake mushrooms and the whole blocks of tofu to the braising liquid, tucking them around the duck. Keep at a low simmer, spooning liquid over the eggs and tofu once or twice so they colour evenly.
8. Rest the duck20 min
   Turn off the heat and let the duck sit in the liquid, covered, for 20 minutes so the meat reabsorbs juices. Lift the duck out onto a board, letting liquid drain from the cavity back into the pot. Remove the eggs, tofu and mushrooms to a plate.
9. Make the rice30 min
   Rinse the rice in two or three changes of water until mostly clear and drain well. Heat the duck fat in a small pot over medium heat, fry the minced garlic for 30 seconds until pale gold, then stir in the rice and salt for 1 minute. Transfer to a rice cooker, add the 500 ml water, and cook on the normal setting. Alternative: cook it in the same small pot, covered, over the lowest heat for 15 minutes after bringing to a boil, then rest 10 minutes off the heat.
10. Make the garlic-chilli dip5 min
    Pound or blend the garlic, chillies, vinegar, lime juice, sugar and salt to a coarse paste. Loosen with 3 tbsp of the cooled braising liquid or hot water and taste: it should be sharp, a little sweet and salty. Spoon into small dipping saucers.
11. Reduce the sauce10 min
    Strain about 400 ml of the braising liquid into a small saucepan and skim off the surface fat. Simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy, enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep warm.
12. Carve the duck10 min
    Cut the duck into quarters by slicing along the breastbone and backbone, then separate the legs from the breasts. Chop the pieces through the bone into bite-size pieces with a heavy cleaver, or slice the breast meat off the bone into 1 cm slices. Slice the tofu and halve the eggs.
13. Plate and serve
    Mound a serving of rice on each plate and arrange duck pieces, tofu, an egg half, mushrooms, blanched greens and cucumber beside it. Spoon the warm reduced sauce over the duck and rice, garnish with coriander, and serve with the garlic-chilli dip and pickled chillies on the side.

Tips

• Keep the braise at a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil, or the duck skin will split and the meat will turn dry and stringy.
• The braising liquid is a keeper: strain it, cool it, and refrigerate or freeze it for your next batch, topping it up with fresh soy, sugar and spices each time.
• For deeper colour, leave the duck to soak in the cooled braising liquid in the fridge overnight, then reheat it gently in the liquid before serving.
• Galangal is the key aromatic here and cannot be swapped with ginger; Sichuan peppercorns add a light tingle but are optional.
• Reduce the strained sauce until it just coats a spoon; if it is too thin it will pool on the rice, and if too thick it will taste harsh and overly salty.

Food safety and allergens

Duck must reach an internal temperature of at least 74 C in the thickest part of the thigh, with clear juices and no pink meat near the bone. Cool leftovers within 2 hours, store the duck and braising liquid separately in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheat until steaming hot throughout.

Contains: egg, soy, sulphites (possible in pickled, wheat

Watch it being made

• SECRET REVEALED! Best Chinese Braised Duck Recipe 潮州卤鸭 Teochew / Chiu Chau Hawker • How to cook duckSpice N' Pans · 460,837 views · YouTube
• Braised Duck - 滷鸭The Meatmen Channel · 302,113 views · YouTube
• 卤鸭 One of my Best Braised Duck Recipe @mummydaughtercookbookMummy & Daughter Cookbook · 200,423 views · YouTube

Videos are made by their YouTube creators and open on YouTube. asklor! is not affiliated with them or with YouTube.

Ask asklor!

• Where to eat famous duck rice

More recipes: Hainanese chicken rice · Laksa · Char kway teow · Bak chor mee · Nasi lemak · Satay · Chilli crab · Black pepper crab · all recipes