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Eight-treasure duck with pickles

Chinese recipe for eight-treasure duck with pickles.
Eight-treasure duck with pickles

Eight-treasure duck with pickles

Prue Ruscoe
8
50M
1H 40M
2H 30M

Based on the Hunanese eight-treasure duck but a little less complicated, this is our idea of a very modern Australian festive centrepiece. You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

Cucumber and radish pickles

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. Place peanuts on a tray and roast, shaking occasionally, until golden (8-12 minutes). Set aside.
2.Steam sticky rice in a steamer over a saucepan of boiling water until tender and sticky (15-20 minutes).
3.Meanwhile, drain mushrooms, squeeze out excess moisture, coarsely chop and set aside. Repeat with prawns.
4.Increase oven to 200C. Heat oil in a wok until smoking, then add lap cheong, tofu and ginger and stir-fry until starting to turn golden (1 minute), add mushroom and prawn and stir-fry (10-20 seconds), then add peanuts, water chestnut, spring onion, Shaoxing and soy sauce and stir to combine. Add sticky rice and ¼ tsp Sichuan pepper and stir to combine. Set aside to cool completely.
5.Place duck skin-side down on a chopping board and press rice mixture into a log shape on duck. Fold duck over to enclose, secure with toothpicks and kitchen string then roll onto a baking tray lined with foil. Sprinkle with remaining Sichuan pepper, season with salt and roast, basting occasionally, until cooked through and golden (45 minutes-1 hour; to test, pierce with a skewer and juices should run clear). Set aside to rest (20 minutes).
6.For cucumber and radish pickles, combine cucumber and radish in a bowl with 1 tsp sea salt flakes and set aside to draw excess moisture from vegetables (20 minutes). Drain, add remaining ingredients and set aside to marinate (10 minutes).
7.Scatter chrysanthemum leaves over duck and serve with cucumber and radish pickles.

Note Lap cheong, a Chinese sausage, chrysanthemum leaves, often sold as tong ho, Chinkiang vinegar and Chiu Chow chilli oil are available from Asian grocers. Ask your butcher to bone the duck for you.

Drink Suggestion: Young Central Otago pinot noir. Drink suggestion by Max Allen

Notes

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