Braised Duck

Ingredients:

1 duck - cleaned (Especially the cavity)

5 cloves - garlic, whole (do not peel)

6 nos - anise seed

3 sticks - cinnamon

4 -5 pcs - dong gwai (sweet) & 'Chuen Gong'

30 gm - lengkuas / galangal (sliced)

1/2 tbsp - peppercorn

20-25 gm - cane sugar

3 tbsp - light soy sauce

2 tbsp - thick soy sauce (caramel sauce)

2 tbsp - oil

extra - coarse salt

1. Rub duck cavity and skin with coarse salt and rinse with water. 

2. In wok, heat up 2 tbsp oil. Add in cinnamon, peppercorn, anise seeds, garlic and lengkuas and stirfry for about 20 seconds or so.

3. Turn to moderately low heat and add in light soy sauce, sugar and thick soy sauce and dong gwai & Chuen Gong.

4. Add in 300 ml of water and bring to boil. Then slowly place in duck. Let it simmer for 10 minutes before turning it to the other side for another 10 minutes.

5. Keep turning the duck in 10 minutes intervals each side scooping in some sauce into the cavity occasionally. If the gravy dries up too quickly, add in further 200 ml of water.

6. The total time for braising the duck take about 50 minutes (the gravy should be reduced to about 300 ml including the melted fat from the duck and thickened). Give an extra 10 minutes if softer meat is desired.

7. Remove duck from gravy and set aside to cool. Pour gravy into a bowl (Skim off the additional fat)

8. The duck should be chopped into thin pieces (unlike chopping chicken) when it is at room temperature. Arrange pieces onto the platter and drizzle with some of the gravy.