Chongcao Duck in Chengdu

Chongcao Duck in Chengdu

　　Chongcao Duck is made by cooking the precious traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps sinensis with an old male duck. The old male duck is cleaned and gutted, then pierced with sharpened chopsticks to make holes about three to five centimeters deep in the duck. The caterpillar part of the Cordyceps is inserted into these holes. Additional ingredients such as Astragalus, walnut kernels, and Schisandra berries are added, and the mixture is simmered over low heat in a clay pot for one to two hours. It is used to treat deficiencies in both the lungs and kidneys, wheezing and shortness of breath, qi and yin insufficiency, weakened immunity, and underdevelopment of intelligence in children. (Chengdu)