Filed under Duck + Game, Soups, Stocks + Sauces
The waiter looked at me funny when I asked for the duck carcass at Peking Duck House during dinner last week. I think he was surprised only because I wasn’t one of his regular customers asking for it. I’m sure they use the duck excess to make other dishes, but the way I see it, I should be able to take the carcass home myself if I paid $40 for their Peking duck.
At home, I was able to salvage a lot of meat from the carcass. I spent the rest of the rainy weekend making stock out of the bones. I made a very hearty soup out of the entire thing using rice vermicelli noodles, but feel free to use udon or soba; just cook according to package instructions. I was able to make several servings of soup with this recipe. I added smoked tofu in one, carrot tops and dried mushrooms in the other and homemade meatballs another time. It was the soup that kept on giving.
Ingredients:
For the duck stock:
1 duck carcass from your Peking Duck order, chopped in pieces so they fit in your pot
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 bay leaf
salt
For the duck soup:
rice vermicelli
leftover duck meat
baby bok choy, chopped
1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
half a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small knob of ginger, peeled, grated
fish sauce
light soy sauce
lime juice
1. Make duck stock like you make any stock. Store in plastic containers in the freezer until ready to use. Before eating the duck soup, heat the duck stock in a small pot. Add garlic, cilantro and ginger and let boil to absorb the flavors. Stir in the meat and the baby bok choy for a couple of minutes until the greens wilt.
2. Separately, boil some water to cook the noodles. If using rice vermicelli noodles, you only need to cook them for 15 seconds. Remove from boiling water and add to individual soup bowls before serving.
3. Ladle in flavored duck broth to bowls with noodles. Top with scallions. Drizzle with some soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice to taste.
Related post/s:
Peking Duck House restaurant review from 2002
A version of this soup with somen noodles
Filed under Duck + Game
The duck legs were $10 cheaper in Chinatown than at Whole Foods, but Chinatown doesn’t even sell rhubarb and five long stalks were on sale for $2 at Whole Foods. My wish is to just have one store to go to when I need to buy ingredients for cooking; a place with fresh and hard-to-find, yet affordable, produce. Until then, I’ll have to make long and separate trips all over the city.
This recipe from last week’s New York Times caught my eye because I haven’t cooked with duck in a long time and I’ve really only baked with rhubarb. Not to mention my recent kick with Indian flavors, I just wanted something I can reheat for next week’s lunches. I revised the recipe a little bit to avoid using a food processor for the spices–I was just too lazy to wash another gadget. The end result was duck meat that easily fell off the bone in thick sauce that was a balance of tart and sweet: perfect over warm basmati rice and some sautéed bok choy.
Ingredients:
4 duck legs
5 stalks rhubarb, chopped
1 small can coconut milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 small knob of ginger, peeled, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
oil, salt, pepper
1. Toss salt with duck legs before cooking. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Brown duck legs, about 7 minutes per side. Turn and brown other side. Transfer to a bowl.
2. While duck browns, mash half of the onion with the ginger and garlic using a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a bowl and combine with all the spices. Season with salt.
3. When duck is done, spoon out all but about 2 tbsps of fat from skillet. Add remaining onions and a large pinch of salt. Sauté until soft, 5 minutes. Add seasoned ginger-garlic paste and cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk and 2 cups water, and bring to a simmer. Add rhubarb, brown sugar and duck legs. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 1 hour, turning duck pieces halfway through. Uncover pan, turn duck again, and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Related post/s:
Rhubarb in one of my favorite desserts
