Chinese cuisine

Professional

Eight Treasure Duck | Chef John’s Cooking Class

Chef John Zhang

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Eight Treasure Duck | Chef John’s Cooking Class

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Every bite of duck meat is flavorful and juicy. It’s a traditional Chinese dish from Huaiyang cuisine, that’s first marinated, fried, braised, stuffed with 8 different ingredients (hence, the name of the dish “8 treasures duck”) before it’s steamed till tender and fall-off-the-bone.

Recipe

PRE TIME: 30 min

COOKING TIME: 5 hr 30 min

TOTAL TIME: 6 hr

8 SERVING

Ingredients:

2 lb. Whole Duck, Cleaned and Wiped Dry With a Paper Towel
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce [Marinade]
2 stalks Green Onion
6 pieces Ginger Slices
2 stick Cinnamon Sticks
1 tsp. Sichuan Peppercorn
2 cup Star Anises
3 pieces Bay Leaves
1 tbsp. Green Onion Oil or Chef-made Green Onion Oil (See "Chef john's signature oils" video)
1 tbsp. Shaoxing Cooking Wine
5 cup Water
0.5 cup Soy Sauce [Seasoning]
1 tbsp. Rock Sugar [Seasoning]
1 tbsp. Five-Spice Powder [Seasoning]
1 oz. Winter Bamboo Shoot, Diced [Stuffings]
1 oz. Ham, Diced [Stuffings]
1 oz. Duck Gizzard, Sliced [Stuffings]
0.25 cup Lotus Seed, Halved With the Center Green Piece Removed [Stuffings]
0.25 cup Diced Jujube [Stuffings]
1 oz. Chestnut [Stuffings]
1 oz. Shitake Mushroom, Diced [Stuffings]
0.5 cup Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined [Stuffings]
1 tbsp. Cooking Oil
1 tbsp. Shaoxing Cooking Wine [Seasoning for Eight Treasures]
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce [Seasoning for Eight Treasures]
1 tbsp. Oyster Sauce [Seasoning for Eight Treasures]
1 tbsp. Rock Sugar [Seasoning for Eight Treasures]
7 oz. Sweet(glutinous) Rice, Cooked [Stuffings]
2 pieces Lotus Leaves

Directions:

Step 1

Rub entire duck’s skin with soy sauce.

Step 2

Deep-fry in oil at 350-400°F (180-200°C), put a Chinese strainer gently underneath the duck while frying, turning and scooping oil on top of the duck, until golden. Drain.

Step 3

In the heated wok, add a bit of oil, green onion, ginger, cinnamon sticks, peppercorn, star anise, bay leaves, green onion oil, stir fry until fragrant.

Step 4

In the same wok, add water, soy sauce, rock sugar, and five-spice powder. Stir to mix well, return the duck to this mixture, and bring to a boil.

Step 5

Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Then take the duck out and cool.

Step 6

Place the duck in a large serving bowl bottom side down, cut the skin along the back from neck to end, debone while keeping the skin intact, and leave meat inside the skin.

Step 7

Prepare stuffing: in a cooking pan over medium heat, add oil, the eight treasure ingredients, cooking wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rock sugar.

Step 8

In the same pan, stir fry to cook for about 2 minutes, then mix in sweet (glutinous) rice.

Step 9

Place the eight treasure and sweet rice mixture on top of the duck meat, cover the bowl with lotus leaves, and tie around the edge to secure the lotus leaves.

Step 10

Steam for 3 hours.

Step 11

Remove lotus leaves, cover the bowl with a serving plate, turn the bowl over, and lift away the bowl. Serve immediately.

Step 12

Enjoy!