Dongjiang Pot-Stewed Duck
Ingredients:
- 1 whole muscovy duck, approximately 1750 grams
- 175 grams pork
- 150 grams dried lotus seeds
- 200 grams glutinous rice
- 35 grams dried shrimp
- 40 grams dried shiitake mushrooms
- 5 grams salt
- 8.5 grams MSG (monosodium glutamate)
- 0.05 grams pepper
- 5 grams wet cornstarch
- 1000 grams broth
- 5000 grams light chicken broth
- 0.5 grams sesame oil
- 75 grams rendered pork fat
Cooking Method:
- Soak the glutinous rice in water for about 1.5 hours, then wash and drain. Clean and dry the duck after slaughtering. Cut the pork, shrimp, and mushrooms into fine pieces. Mix salt, pepper, sesame oil, MSG (2.5 grams), and 35 grams of rendered pork fat to make a thickening sauce.
- Mix the pork with wet cornstarch, then add shrimp, mushrooms, lotus seeds, glutinous rice, 6 grams of MSG, and 25 grams of pork fat to make the stuffing. Fill the duck cavity with the stuffing and secure the cavity with string to restore its original shape. Blanch the duck in boiling water for about 1 minute to expand and toughen the skin. Remove, wash, untie the string, and prick several small holes in the duck body with an iron needle. Wrap the duck with white cloth and tie it securely with string. Place the wrapped duck in the pot with boiling light chicken broth and simmer over medium heat for about 4 hours until tender. Remove the duck, untie and unwrap it, place it on a plate, trim off the tail fat, split the back of the duck, add the seasoning sauce to the cavity, mix well, and then invert it into a large soup bowl. Serve with hot broth.
Key Techniques:
Poking small holes in the duck body with an iron needle and releasing air during cooking can prevent the duck skin from bursting.
Flavor Characteristics:
“Dongjiang Pot-Stewed Duck” is a famous Hakka dish known for its unique characteristics distinct from Guangzhou’s “Lingnan Pot-Stewed Duck”. This dish fills the duck cavity with glutinous rice and other ingredients, stewing it in broth until tender. The key lies in securely wrapping the duck with cloth to prevent it from swelling and bursting during heating, ensuring the stuffing becomes soft and aromatic.
