Duck meat is considered in traditional medicine as a cooling food that benefits the liver and kidneys. It is especially popular during hot summer days. However, to cook delicious duck without its distinctive smell, follow the recipe below:
Ingredients for Boiled Duck
1 duck weighing approximately 2kg
2 knobs of fresh ginger
1 bulb of dry shallot
Rice vinegar
White wine
How to Cook a Flavorful and Tasty Duck
Step 1: Prepare the Duck
When buying a live duck, you can ask the seller to prepare it, or you can do it yourself at home. After cutting the duck’s throat, dip it in boiling water to pluck the feathers. You will notice black liquid coming out of the pores; make sure to squeeze it out and clean it thoroughly as it causes the duck to smell.
The duck’s cork is the main culprit for the foul smell of boiled duck meat, so it is best to remove it entirely as it is also unhealthy. Don’t forget to take out the dirty tongue from the duck’s beak!
After plucking the feathers, gut the duck and take out all the innards. You can clean and boil the innards with the duck or chop them finely to make glass noodle stir-fry, French bean stir-fry, or winged-stemmed passionflower stir-fry.
Step 2: Remove the Duck’s Odor
This step is crucial, even though the feathers have been removed and the cork cut off, the duck meat will still have a distinctive smell, which can be unpleasant when consumed.
Rub the duck inside and out with salt grains, then rinse. After that, cut a few slices of ginger and rub them on the duck before rinsing again. Ginger is effective in removing the duck’s odor and making it smell better when boiled.
If you want to be more thorough, you can use white wine, ginger wine, or rice vinegar to wash the duck and then rinse it with water. This will ensure that the duck is odorless.
Step 3: Boiling the Duck
The taste of duck meat largely depends on the ingredients and the boiling process. Boil a pot of water and add a knob of crushed ginger, a grilled shallot, or a grilled ginger knob. These ingredients will give the duck a wonderful aroma.
When boiling the duck, avoid using high heat. Once the water boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes to cook the duck gradually.
After about 20 minutes of boiling, pierce the duck’s thigh with a chopstick. If the juice that comes out is clear and not red, the duck is cooked. Take it out, let it cool down a bit, and then chop it into bite-sized pieces and serve.
Step 4: Chop the Duck and Arrange on a Plate
Unlike chicken, duck meat is best chopped while it’s still warm, as it will be softer and more delicious. Cut the duck into long, bite-sized pieces and arrange them on a plate.