Name: Golden duck with cold pickled melon and cucumber
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: For deep-frying: vegetable oil; ½ telegraph cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced on a mandolin; Red-braised duck; 500 ml Shaoxing wine (2 cups); 200 ml dark soy sauce; 15 gm ginger, thickly sliced (3cm piece); 2 spring onions, coarsely chopped; 1 duck; Pickled melon; 230 ml brown rice vinegar; 100 gm caster sugar; 3 long pepper pods (see note); 1 red chilli, split, sliced diagonally; 1 star anise; ¼ honeydew melon, thinly sliced

Golden duck with cold pickled melon and cucumber

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for golden duck with cold pickled melon and cucumber.

Serves 4

Prep

45M

Cook

30M

Total

1H 15M

An Asian leaf salad would work well with this dish. You’ll need to begin this recipe two days ahead.

Ingredients

For deep-frying: vegetable oil

½ telegraph cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced on a mandolin

Red-braised duck

500 ml Shaoxing wine (2 cups)

200 ml dark soy sauce

15 gm ginger, thickly sliced (3cm piece)

2 spring onions, coarsely chopped

1 duck

Pickled melon

230 ml brown rice vinegar

100 gm caster sugar

3 long pepper pods (see note)

1 red chilli, split, sliced diagonally

1 star anise

¼ honeydew melon, thinly sliced

Method

Main

1.For red-braised duck, bring Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ginger, spring onion and 5 litres water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add duck, weight with a plate and bring back to the boil, then remove from heat and set aside in liquid to cool completely. Remove duck from liquid (discard liquid) and pat dry with absorbent paper. With kitchen scissors or a large sharp knife, cut down either side of the backbone (remove and discard spine), then cut lengthways through the breastbone. Place skin-side up on a wire rack and refrigerate, uncovered, until skin dries out (2 days).

2.For pickled melon, combine vinegar, sugar, long pepper, chilli, star anise and 3 tsp sea salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside to cool. Place melon in a large bowl, pour vinegar liquid over and refrigerate to lightly pickle (1 hour).

3.Heat oil in a large wok to 180C (do not fill too high, as oil will overflow when duck is added). Remove duck legs from breasts and trim breast pieces, add to wok, skin-side down, in batches and deep-fry, turning occasionally, until skin is crisp and deep golden (5-10 minutes; be careful, hot oil will spit). Drain well on absorbent paper, cut into pieces and transfer to a platter.

4.Strain pickled melon into a bowl, add cucumber, toss to combine and drizzle with a little pickling liquid. Serve with hot duck scattered with black pepper and sea salt flakes.