Enjoy 28-day Yilan cherry ducks with the Han She recipe — discover how the crispy skin meets tender meat

▲ Prophetic duck. (Photo / Provided by Les Suites Taipei, Autograph Collection)

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Han She Recipes is a proprietary Chinese restaurant brand established by the Tsai family, specializing in Cantonese cuisine. In addition to signature dishes such as Tsai-style abalone, crispy roast squab, and golden roasted goose, the crispy prophetic duck is a standout menu item. The prophetic duck was named by Tsai Chen-yang, founder of the Han She Group, drawing inspiration from the literary master Su Dongpo’s famous line, “A duck knows first when the spring river water warms.”

The prophetic duck uses 28-day Yilan cherry ducks. The process begins with blanching, cooling, and then coating the inside of the duck evenly with a specially prepared sauce mixture of seafood sauce, sweet bean sauce, and fresh oyster sauce. The opening is then sewn shut with a duck tail needle, and the duck is marinated for one day. After marination, boiling water is poured over the duck’s skin, followed by a coating of sugar-vinegar water and air-drying for about six hours. The dried duck is then roasted in an oven at 150–180 degrees Celsius. Before serving, hot oil at 150 degrees is poured over the back of the duck to crisp the skin. The dish is carved on-site before serving and is accompanied by plum sauce and Sichuan-style chili sauce.


▲ Dining area at Han She Recipes. (Photo / Provided by Les Suites Taipei, Autograph Collection)

Unlike typical Cantonese or Peking duck, the prophetic duck not only features more tender meat than regular adult ducks but also has less hardened bones. As a result, diners don’t need a knife to slice the prophetic duck — instead, scissors are used to cut off sections of skin, meat, and some bones together, allowing you to enjoy the crispy skin and tender meat in one bite.

Address: No. 38, Songren Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan (2nd floor, Les Suites Taipei, Autograph Collection)