Steamed Duck Stuffed With Chinese Lettuce Food

CHINATOWN STEAMED AND ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Duck is notoriously a fatty bird, to diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the neck and body. Rinse the duck, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Salt and five-spice powder makes a fragrant dry marinade, which draws some of the moisture from the duck so that the spices penetrate. Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics: the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel. Fold the wing tips back under the duck and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Poke the duck breast a few times, piercing the skin.
• Place a roasting pan on the stovetop over 2 burners and fill with 2-inches of water, turn the heat to medium. Set a V-rack insert inside the pan and lay the duck on the rack, breast-side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking the water level periodically. Steaming the duck first melts away some of the fat and shrinks the skin.
• In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce over low heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until thick. The duck will be lacquered with the sweet glaze, which caramelizes during roasting, making the skin crisp and brown.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Take the foil off the duck, remove the rack with the duck, and pour out the water and all the fat that has rendered out (this is great to use in other dishes like fried rice.) Put the rack with the duck back inside the roasting pan. Baste the duck with the vinegar mixture, until all the skin is completely coated in the glaze. Stick the whole thing in the oven. Roast the duck for 1 hour, basting periodically with any remaining glaze to set in a deep mahogany color. Tent the breast with some foil if it gets too dark. The legs will wiggle easily when it's done. Carve and serve.

STEAMED AND ROASTED WHOLE DUCK

Steps:

• To reduce the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the neck and body.
• Rinse the duck, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
• Rub the spice mixture all over the duck, inside and out.
• Salt and five-spice powder makes a fragrant dry marinade, which draws some of the moisture from the duck so that the spices penetrate.
• Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics: the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel.
• Fold the wing tips back under the duck and tie the legs together with kitchen string.
• Poke the duck breast a few times, piercing the skin.
• Place a roasting pan on the stovetop over 2 burners and fill with 2-inches of water, turn the heat to medium.
• Set a V-rack insert inside the pan and lay the duck on the rack, breast-side up.
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking the water level periodically.
• Steaming the duck first melts away some of the fat and shrinks the skin.
• In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce over low heat.
• Bring to a boil and simmer and stir for 15 minutes until sauce thickens.
• The duck will be lacquered with the sweet glaze, which caramelizes during roasting, making the skin crisp and brown.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Take the foil off the duck, remove the rack with the duck, and pour out the water and all the fat that has rendered out.
• Put the rack with the duck back inside the roasting pan.
• Baste the duck with the vinegar mixture, until all the skin is completely coated in the glaze.
• Stick the whole thing in the oven.
• Roast the duck for 1 hour, basting periodically with any remaining glaze to set in a deep mahogany color.
• Tent the breast with some foil if it gets too dark.
• The legs will wiggle easily when it's done.
• Carve and serve.

STEAMED DUCK STUFFED WITH CHINESE LETTUCE

Steps:

• 1. Wipe duck inside and out with a damp cloth. Dry well with paper toweling, or hang up to dry in a cool, airy place 1 to 2 hours. 2. Blanch lotus seeds. Slice ham cut Chinese lettuce in 1-inch sections. 3. Combine half of Chinese lettuce sections with lotus seeds and ham. Add salt and mix well. Stuff mixture into duck and sew up securely or skewer. 4. Heat oil in a large pan and brown duck quickly. 5. Place remaining lettuce sections in a large heatproof bowl then put duck on top. Steam by the bowl-in-a-pot method until duck is tender (about 2 hours). See HOW-TO, _Steaming. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

STEAMED AND CRISPED DUCK

Steps:

• In small bowl, mix all ingredients except duck. Rub mixture on duck, inside and out. Put duck in dish, breast side down. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, take duck out of refrigerator, and let it warm to room temperature. Place duck on steamer tray or rack small enough to fit into a wok. Fill wok with water up to bottom edge of tray; bring to boil. Place tray over boiling water, cover with lid or foil and steam duck over high heat until extremely tender, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Replenish boiling water when necessary.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Transfer duck to cutting board, and let cool. Quarter the duck. Heat large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add duck pieces, skin side down; saute until skin begins to sizzle and brown, for about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, and crisp skin for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Turn again, cover and cook in oven until heated through, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer pieces to platter; serve.

STEAMED DUCK

Steps:

• Place duck in a deep-sided heatproof dish to collect juices as the duck will release a large amount of fat and moisture during the steaming process.
• Place vegetables (onions - ginger root) inside the duck.
• Place a small plate that fits into steamer (with a 1-inch clearance) for steam to circulate. Spray plate with Pam and place duck on plate in steamer (you may need to cut duck into quarters to fit).
• Place a lot of water into bottom of steamer, bring it to a boil and steam duck for about 1 1/2 hours or until it reaches 180-degrees F using a meat therometer. (While duck is steaming check water in steamer as you may need to add more water during the cooking process).
• Preheat oven to 450-degrees F.
• Remove duck from steamer.
• Heat soy suce and honey together and then brush over duck.
• Roast duck for 20-30 minutes or until skin is brown and crisp.
• Cut into serving pieces to serve.