- 6 medium-sized fragrant mushrooms
- 1 duck (2.2-2.5 kg)
- 4 slices ginger
- 2 small leeks
- 4 medium-sized onions
- 5 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 90 cl water
- 30 cl red wine
- 1 chicken broth cube
- Preparation time: 35 minutes
- Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
As a chef with decades of experience mastering Chinese cuisine, I recommend this traditional braised duck recipe. The slow simmering infuses the meat with deep flavors from onions, leeks, and aromatics, resulting in melt-in-your-mouth tenderness—perfect for chopsticks.
- Soak the mushrooms in 30 cl of water for 30 minutes. Reserve the soaking water, then remove stems and quarter the caps. Trim excess fat from the duck.
- Peel and chop the ginger.
- Clean the leeks thoroughly and cut into 5 cm pieces. Halve the onions and sauté in oil for 4-5 minutes until softened; drain and reserve.
- In the same oil, brown the duck for 5-6 minutes until lightly golden.
- Stuff the duck cavity with ginger, onions, salt, and mushrooms.
- Place in a heavy-bottomed casserole. Add half the soy sauce and 90 cl water. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 45 minutes, turning once. Cool slightly.
- Skim fat from the surface. Remove 2/3 of the liquid. Add red wine, mushroom soaking water, remaining soy sauce, and crumbled broth cube.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour, turning occasionally, until liquid reduces by half.
- Transfer duck to a warm deep platter and keep warm. Add leeks to the casserole, boil until sauce reduces by half.
- Pour sauce over duck, arrange leeks around it. Serve when duck is tender enough to pull apart with chopsticks.
