Hangzhou Braised Duck

Hangzhou Braised Duck

　　“Hangzhou Braised Duck” is made from plump ducks raised and matured in the same year, meticulously prepared through salting and then braising. The meat has a date-red color, fragrant and richly oily texture, and a deep aftertaste, making it an excellent pairing with alcohol. Ingredients: one cleaned duck (about 1250g), 5g ginger, 350ml soy sauce, 50ml Shaoxing wine, 3g cinnamon, 15g scallion segments, 250g sugar.

　　Preparation Method:

　　1. Slaughter the duck on an empty stomach, clean it thoroughly, and make an incision to remove the internal organs. Discard the trachea and esophagus, then wash again and chop off the webbed feet. Hook the nostrils with a small iron hook and hang it in a ventilated area to dry. 2. Mix refined salt and saltpeter evenly, rub it all over the outside of the duck, and stuff 5g of the mixture into both the duck’s mouth and the slaughter opening. Twist the duck’s head toward its chest, tuck it under the right armpit, and place it flat in a jar. Prop it up with bamboo sticks and press down with heavy stones. Cure it at around 0°C for 12 hours before taking it out and draining all liquid from the cavity. 3. Put the duck back into the jar, add soy sauce until it's immersed, place the bamboo sticks back on top, and press with heavy stones. Cure at around 0°C for 24 hours, then flip the duck and cure for another 24 hours before removing it from the jar. Thread a thin hemp rope through the duck’s nostrils, tie knots at both ends, then take a 50cm bamboo strip, bend it into an arc, and insert it through the abdominal incision to prop the duck cavity open on both sides. Boil the used soy sauce mixed with 50% water, skim off any foam, place the duck inside, and continuously ladle the braising liquid over the duck with a spoon until it turns a soy-sauce red. Remove, drain, and sun-dry for two to three days. 4. Before eating, place the duck in a large plate (without adding water), pour on Shaoxing wine, sprinkle with sugar, scallions, and ginger, and steam over high heat until fine cracks appear on the duck wings. Then pour out the cavity liquid, let it cool, cut into pieces, and serve on a plate.

　　Characteristics:

　　The duck is first salted and then braised, resulting in a date-red colored meat that is fragrant, oily, salty yet fresh, and richly flavorful — a traditional and famous dish of Hangzhou.

　　Preparation Tips:

　　1. The duck should be salted first and then braised, which gives it a unique flavor. If the temperature exceeds 7°C, reduce curing time to 12 hours. 2. When curing a large quantity of ducks, flip them upside down midway to ensure even flavor penetration. 3. Use the correct amount of saltpeter as specified, or it may affect the dish’s color and edibility. 4. The weather temperature is crucial for making braised duck — it is generally made in winter when temperatures are below 5°C, as higher temperatures can cause spoilage. 5. Only fully grown ducks raised in the same year should be used, preferably Shaoxing ducks, and the final product features date-red meat, a fragrant oily texture, and a lingering aftertaste.

　　Alternative Preparation Method

　　Main ingredient: 2500g duck. Seasonings: 5g scallions, 5g ginger, 10g white sugar, 15g Shaoxing wine, 200g soy sauce, 30g salt, and others as needed. Hangzhou Braised Duck preparation: 1. Slaughter the duck on an empty stomach, scald it with hot water around 80°C to loosen feathers, clean it, then make an upper incision to remove the internal organs and trachea/esophagus. Wash again, chop off the webbed feet, hook the nostrils with an iron hook, and hang it in a ventilated, dry place to dry. 2. Mix 0.25g saltpeter with refined salt, rub it evenly on the duck skin, and stuff 5g of the salt mixture into the duck’s mouth, the slaughter incision, and the abdominal cavity. Twist the duck’s head toward its chest, tuck it under the right wing, place it flat in a jar, cover with bamboo matting, and press with heavy stones. 3. Cure at around 0°C for 36 hours, then flip the duck and cure for another 36 hours before removing it from the jar and draining all cavity liquid. 4. Place the duck back into the jar, add enough soy sauce to submerge it, put the bamboo matting back, and press with heavy stones. 5. At around 0°C, let it cure for 48 hours, flip the duck, and continue curing for another 48 hours before removal. 6. Thread a thin hemp rope through the duck’s nostrils, knot both ends, and insert a ~50cm bamboo strip bent into an arc through the abdominal opening to prop the cavity open on both sides. 7. Boil the previously used soy sauce mixed with 50% water, skim off the foam, place the duck in the pot, and continuously ladle the braising liquid over the duck. 8. Once the duck turns a soy-sauce red, remove it, drain, and sun-dry for 2–3 days. 9. Before serving, place the braised duck on a large plate without adding water, pour Shaoxing wine over it, sprinkle with sugar, scallions, and ginger, and steam over high heat until fine cracks appear on the duck wings — this indicates it’s done. 10. Pour out the cavity liquid from the steamed duck, let it cool, and then slice and plate.

　　Characteristics:

　　“Hangzhou Braised Duck” is made from plump ducks raised and matured in the same year, meticulously prepared through salting and then braising. The meat has a date-red color, fragrant, oily, and richly flavorful — a perfect pairing with alcohol. It is also one of the 36 renowned Hangzhou dishes recognized by Zhejiang Province in 1956.