Food & Receipts

The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Duck: Enhancing Flavor and Tenderness with the Perfect Ingredients

Many individuals believe that boiling a duck only requires ginger and cold water. In reality, it requires additional seasonings to eliminate the unpleasant smell and enhance its irresistibly delicious flavor.

Administrator

10 December, 2023

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Ingredients for Boiled Duck

1 duck, approximately 2kg

2 knobs of fresh ginger

1 bulb of shallot

Rice vinegar

White wine

How to Boil a Delicious and Tender Duck

Step 1: Prepare the Duck

When you buy a live duck, you can either ask the seller to prepare it or do it yourself at home. To start, after cutting the duck’s throat, soak it in boiling water to pluck the feathers. Make sure to check the pores on the duck’s body thoroughly to remove any black liquid, as this is the source of any unpleasant odor.

The duck’s crop, or ‘phao câu’ in Vietnamese, is often the main cause of any fishy smell in boiled duck meat. Therefore, it is essential to remove this entirely to prevent odors and ensure food safety. Don’t forget to also clean the duck’s beak and remove the dirty tongue.

Once the feathers are removed, open the duck’s belly to take out the entrails. You can set aside the entrails to make delicious dishes such as glass noodle stir-fry, stir-fried long beans, or stir-fried golden trumpet.

Step 2: Eliminating the Odor

To get rid of the distinctive smell of duck meat and make it more fragrant after boiling, you can follow these steps:

Use coarse salt to scrub the inside and outside of the duck, then rinse well. This helps eliminate odors and enhances the fragrance of the meat.

Cut a few slices of ginger and rub them onto the duck meat, then rinse again. Ginger is excellent for effectively removing odors.

If you want to be extra thorough, you can use white wine, ginger wine, or rice vinegar to wash the duck meat, and then rinse it with water. This ensures that the duck meat is free from any unpleasant odors and will taste better after boiling.

Step 3: Boiling the Duck

It is crucial to carefully boil the duck to ensure that the meat is tasty and safe to eat. Here’s how you can do it:

Place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil, ensuring there is enough water to submerge the entire duck.

Add one knob of crushed ginger, or one roasted shallot, or one roasted ginger bulb to the water. These ingredients will impart a distinctive and appealing aroma to the boiled duck.

Once the water boils, reduce the heat to low and cook the duck for about 20-30 minutes to ensure it cooks slowly and thoroughly.

To check if the meat is cooked, pierce the thigh with a pair of chopsticks. If the juices run clear, the duck is cooked on the inside.

After boiling, remove the duck from the pot and let it cool down a bit. Then, you can start chopping it into pieces to serve.

Step 4: Chopping and Plating

For duck meat, it is best to chop it into pieces while it is still warm, as this will make the meat softer and more flavorful (unlike chicken, which is usually chopped after it has cooled down). Cut the duck meat into bite-sized pieces and arrange them neatly on a plate.

Frequently asked questions

You will need a whole duck (approximately 2kg), fresh ginger, shallots, rice vinegar, and white wine.

After purchasing a live duck, you can ask the seller to prepare it, or you can do it yourself. Cut the duck’s throat, soak it in boiling water to loosen the feathers, and pluck them. Ensure you check and clean the pores on the duck’s body to remove any black liquid, which can cause an unpleasant odor. Remove the duck’s crop (‘phao câu’ in Vietnamese), as it is a common source of a fishy smell. Clean the beak and remove the tongue. Once the feathers are gone, open the belly and take out the entrails, which you can set aside for other dishes.

Use coarse salt to scrub the inside and outside of the duck, then rinse well. Cut and rub ginger slices onto the meat, and rinse again. Optionally, you can use white wine, ginger wine, or rice vinegar to wash the meat, followed by a water rinse. These steps ensure the meat is fragrant and free from any unpleasant smells.

Place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil, ensuring there is enough water to submerge the entire duck. Add crushed ginger, a roasted shallot, or a roasted ginger bulb to the water for a distinctive aroma. Once the water boils, reduce the heat and cook the duck slowly for 20-30 minutes. To check if it’s cooked, pierce the thigh with a chopstick; if the juices run clear, it’s done. Remove the duck from the pot and let it cool slightly before chopping.

It is best to chop duck meat into bite-sized pieces while it is still warm, as this makes the meat softer and more flavorful. Arrange the pieces neatly on a plate, and it’s ready to be served.