Chinese Duck Cooking – A Few Recipes

China has more ducks than any other country in the world.  For this reason the Chinese have found interesting ways of converting the fowl into many palatable dishes. The duck used is the kind that dwells in marshes.  The Muscovy duck is not a native of China and is called foreign duck.

FRIED DUCK

Clean and disjoint a young duck.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover the bottom of frying pan with peanut oil about half an inch deep.  When oil sizzles, put in the pieces of duck and fry slowly until a delicate brown, turning the pieces occasionally.  Mix six tablespoons Chinese sauce^a in half a cup of water with a piece of shredded ginger, four tablespoonful of wine, and few green onion sprouts.  Pour contents over the duck, cover, and let cook over slow fire for 20 minutes longer.

^a(soyu or soy sauce)

PINEAPPLE DUCK

Stew on young duck in kettle for an hour.  Add salt and pepper and two tablespoonsful of Chinese sauce.  Add one can sliced pineapple, including the syrup in it and let it cook for 20 minutes more.

DUCK SOUP

Place a dried onion sprout in large soup pan filled with cold water(about a gallon). Let water come to a boil.  Put in whole young duck, which has been cleaned.  Add four dried orange peels, three stalks celery, a little onion.  Cook for three hours.  Season with white pepper, four tablespoonsful Chinese sauce and salt.  This gives a delicious duck soup.  The duck may be eaten with Chinese sauce or used for frying.

ORANGE DUCK 

Here is a dish of duck meat with the added taste of old preserved oranges.  Chop a young duck in pieces.  Put in a kettle, cover with boiling water, add on dozen dried orange peels, and cook slowly for an hour.  Add two cups cut white mushrooms, salt and pepper, three tablespoonsful Chinese sauce, and cook for 20 minutes.  Serve garnished with small slices of boiled ham.

CHESTNUT DUCK

Clean and chop a duck in pieces.  Put in a kettle, cover with boiling water, and cook slowly for an hour.  Add six cups chestnuts and two cups white mushrooms, salt and pepper, and four tablespoonsful Chinese sauce.  Cook for 30 minutes.

DUCK EGG SPONGE

Beat two duck eggs.  Add cup of water, half a cup of dried or fresh shrimps, a little salt and pepper, one tablespoonful of Chinese sauce, a drop or two of peanut oil.  Pour this into deep bowl, put bowl into saucepan and steam for 20 minutes.

WHOLE DUCK

Clean a duck.  Cut an opening below neck and remove bones and all.  Make this mixture: one-half pound pork, on-fourth pound ham, one cup white chesnuts, one cup chestnuts, one cup water chestnuts, one-half cup mushrooms. Chop all fine, and add salt and pepper.  Stuff duck with this mixture, place in a pan and steam two hours.  Serve duck in bowl, pour a little chicken soup over it, garnish with green parsley. This recipe is often used with the traditional Chinese Nine Course Dinner.

(source: Chinese Cookery, Compiled by M. Sing Au – 1932 – Creart Publications, Honolulu, U.S.A.)