Sauce Duck
Ingredients
Main Ingredients and Seasonings:
- Squab (4 birds, approximately 750 grams)
- Green onion (chopped): 3 grams
- Star anise: 2 pieces
- Sweet bean paste: 50 grams
- Cinnamon stick: 3 grams
- White sugar: 2 grams
- Clear soup: 500 grams
- Shaoxing wine: 2 grams
- Fine salt: 3 grams
- Green onion (cut into sections): 2 grams
- Ginger slices: 2 grams
- Minced ginger: 2 grams
- Sesame oil: 15 grams
- Peanut oil: 25 grams
Cooking Method
- Slaughter and pluck the squabs, remove internal organs and claws, wash thoroughly, drain excess water. Marinate with fine salt, 1 gram of Shaoxing wine, green onion sections, and ginger slices for 1 hour. Place the squabs in a small container with clear soup, add cinnamon stick and star anise, steam until fully cooked. Remove, let cool, then chop into small walnut-sized pieces.
- Heat peanut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry chopped green onion and minced ginger until fragrant. Add sweet bean paste, stir-fry evenly. Pour in the soup from steaming the squabs, add squab meat, white sugar, 1 gram of Shaoxing wine, simmer until the sauce thickens and the squab absorbs the flavors. Finish with sesame oil. Serve hot.
Key Techniques
- After washing the squabs, marinate them for 1 hour to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat, enhancing the overall taste.
- Steam the squabs until fully cooked; do not overcook to the point where the meat falls off the bones, as this would hinder chopping the squabs into uniform pieces later.
- When frying the sauce and reducing it, avoid using high heat to prevent the dish from burning or becoming overly thick.
Flavor Characteristics
- “Sauce Duck” is a traditional dish in Henan cuisine with a unique flavor. Squab meat is tender and delicate, offering some therapeutic benefits. According to historical records in the Yuan Dynasty’s “Yinshan Zhengyao,” squab is noted for its mild, balanced taste, and nourishing properties, beneficial for health.
- “Sauce” is a common cooking method in Henan cuisine, evolving from traditional “sauce-roasting” techniques. The sweet bean paste used in this dish imparts a rich and sweet aroma, hence the name “Sauce Duck.” The finished dish features tender meat with a rich sauce, leaving a lingering savory taste, making it a favorite among locals in Henan.
