Tea Smoked Duck
Ingredients
1 stephen ceideburg
4 lb to 5 lb. duck, washed and dried
6 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 whole pieces star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 cup strong black tea leaves, such as da, rjeeling
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Preparation
The Chinese method of home smoking is surprisingly easy and eliminates
duck's fattiness while preserving its flavor. Serve tea-smoked duck
as an appetizer at room temperature with toothpicks, or use the meat
in stir-fries.
Remove any fat from the cavity of the duck and prick the bird all
over. Bring an inch or two of water and 4 Tbsp. soy sauce to a boil
in a wok with a tight-fitting lid. Add star anise and cinnamon. Place
the duck on a rack in the wok, cover and steam over simmering water
just until the juices run clear, about
40 minutes.
Remove the duck from the wok, pouring out any juice from the cavity,
and set the bird aside. Discard liquid, rinse the wok and dry it with
paper towels. Line it with heavy aluminum foil, allowing foil to hang
about 2" over the edge. Place rice, tea and sugar in the bottom of
the wok and mix well. Place a rack about 1 inch above the rice
mixture. (If you do not have a rack that fits properly, place four
chopsticks across the wok so that they crisscross.) Place the duck on
the rack, breast-side up. Cover with foil, allowing at least 1 inch
between the duck and foil and letting the foil cover also hang about
2 inches over the edge. Cover with the lid.
Turn heat to high (turn on exhaust fan) and cook until smoke begins to
emerge from the wok, 3 to 5 minutes. Crimp the top and bottom edges
of the overhanging foil together and smoke for 10 minutes. Reduce
heat to medium and smoke for 20 minutes longer. Turn off heat and,
leaving foil sealed, let sit for 15 minutes. Unwrap duck and discard
tea mixture and aluminum foil. (The duck can be smoked up to 2 days
ahead and stored, well covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room
temperature before serving)
Remove and discard skin. Carve the breast meat into thin slices. Cut
the legs from the carcass (discard carcass) and separate the thigh
from the drumstick at the joint. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and
sesame oil and brush over the meat. Makes about 1/2 lb. cooked meat.
Serves 4 as an appetizer.
128 CALORIES PER SERVING: 14 G PROTEIN, 7 G FAT, 1 G CARBOHYDRATE;
381 MG SODIUM; 51 MG CHOLESTEROL.
From "Eating Well", Jan/Feb, 1992.
Servings: 4
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