## How to Use Papaya Leaves to Pluck Duck Feathers
**Instructions:**
1. Prepare papaya leaves: Crush a handful of papaya leaves and add them to a pot of water. Bring it to a boil.
2. Prepare the duck: After slaughtering, dip the duck in cold water to wet the feathers and skin evenly.
3. Marinate the duck: Remove the duck and sprinkle a little white wine or rice vinegar on its surface. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
4.
5. Dip the duck in papaya leaf water: Instead of using boiling water at 100°C, use warm water at approximately 40-50°C. This helps prevent the duck’s pores from shrinking. After a few minutes of dipping, try plucking a few feathers and rubbing your hand against the grain to easily remove the down.
6. Remove the duck odor: To eliminate the duck’s odor, you can use a little vinegar after plucking the feathers. Additionally, adding papaya leaves, sour star fruit leaves, or wine to the water is also effective.
7. This method makes it easier to remove the down, making it suitable even for beginners in the kitchen.
## How to Get Rid of Duck Odor
Ducks tend to have a foul odor due to their fat deposits, which contain numerous oil glands. After plucking the feathers, eviscerate the duck and remove the entrails, including the oily gland. If you wish to keep this gland, cut off the yellowish, foul-smelling part on top.
To reduce the odor:
1. Use salt and lemon: Rub salt all over the duck and cut a lemon in half, scouring the duck’s surface before rinsing it clean.
2. Soak in cold water: Soak the duck in a basin of cold water for about 20 minutes to whiten and enhance the appearance of the meat.
3. Use ginger: If boiling the duck, crush some ginger and add it to the pot, or rub the duck with ginger or wine to eliminate the odor.
## Delicious and Easy Duck Recipes
### Duck Stewed with Sour Fruit
Duck stewed with sour fruit is a familiar dish in Northern Vietnamese cuisine. It combines the rich, aromatic duck meat with the sour fruit, resulting in a delicious and refreshing dish, especially during hot summer days.
Sour fruit is not only tasty but also nutritious, packed with vitamin C and beneficial for health in warm weather. It helps replenish minerals and fluids, making up for the energy lost during daily activities. This dish not only provides essential nutrients but also aids digestion and promotes better sleep. It is also an effective remedy for mouth ulcers.
### Braised Duck with Ginger
Braised duck with ginger is an ideal dish for chilly weather. Ginger not only warms the stomach but also eliminates the duck’s odor, resulting in a distinctive flavor. The braised duck meat is savory and salty-sweet, best enjoyed with plain white rice.
In addition to warming the body, this dish also aids digestion, improves cardiovascular function, and helps lower blood pressure due to the antioxidants and compounds found in ginger, which reduce stress levels.
### Roasted Duck
Roasted duck with its crispy, brown skin is a must-try. Roasting preserves the natural sweetness of the meat, which is infused with spices and can be enjoyed with bread, rice, or rice noodles.
This dish is not greasy, so it doesn’t cause a heavy feeling. Roasted duck meat also offers health benefits, such as helping underweight individuals gain weight, combating anemia, and supporting recovery from debilitated health.
Can New Moms Eat Duck Meat? Postpartum Dietary Considerations.
Pregnancy and postpartum are delicate periods, and diet plays a crucial role in a woman’s health during this time. While duck meat is a familiar food, questions arise about its suitability for new mothers. So, is it safe for postpartum women to consume? And if so, what are the key considerations when indulging in this dish? Let’s delve into these queries and uncover the insights you need to make informed decisions about your dietary choices during this special phase of life.