Simple Braised Duck Recipe

Braised duck is a well-loved Teo Chew delicacy, and is a very typical Chinese dish. However I will add in a twist of asian fusion to the original Teo Chew recipe. Other than the main ingredients of chinese five spices, my mum has given me a valuable tips on adding in lemongrass and galangal to further enhance the taste of this simple braised duck recipe.

The essential ingredient is to get a fresh duck weighing about 1.5kg to 2kg. Clean the duck thoroughly, chop off the head and the webs. Trim excess fat from the duck especially the butt area.

Other crucial ingredients are the Chinese five spices, comprising of (from top clockwise) star anise, fennel seeds, black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. For a whole duck, you need 4 cinnamon barks, 5 star anise, around 8 cloves, a pinchful of fennel seeds and black pepper.

Alternatively, you can have your braised duck ingredients 'mix-matched' readily from Chinese provision shop or Chinese medical hall, like below. Simply ask the uncle to hand-pick $4 of braised duck herbs, so there you go, fuss free and the outcome of the dish is absolutely fabulous.

Other side ingredients: 2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed and bruised; 1 whole garlic, peeled and crushed; 5 red shallots, peeled and crushed; 1 thumbsize galangal, crushed; 2 chunks of rock sugar; and Chinese 5 spices.

Heat up a wok or preferably a deep pot, so the whole duck can braised evenly throughout. Add  3 tablespoon of cooking oil. Fry the above ingredients, except the rock sugar and duck, until fragrant.

When aroma starts to waft around the kitchen, pour in 4 bowls of water into the wok (or just enough to cover the whole duck for braising). Add 5 tablespoons of dark soya sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of salt, and wait till it starts boiling. Lower the whole duck into the wok carefully, and lastly the rock sugar. Cover the wok with lid and let it simmer for an hour or 1.5 hours under medium fire, turning the duck both sides during the braising step. Add in water when necessary, if you find the duck is still tough, or you prefer the meat to be a little bit more tender.

When the water reduces to 1/4 of the original, dish out the duck and let it cool down a bit before chopping up the nicely braised duck into serving pieces. Serve the duck in a plate garnished with sliced cucumber. Drain the lovely braised duck gravy for later, discard the spices bits from the braising.

Enjoy the braised duck dish, best served with a bowl of hot steaming white rice, alongside with the super yummy gravy. This is indeed my family's favourite, especially the kids.

BON APPETIT....