Aromatic Crispy Duck (香酥鸭)

A plate of aromatic crispy duck cut into pieces.

5 from 9 votes

Aromatic Crispy Duck (香酥鸭)

A home cook-friendly recipe for aromatic crispy duck, offering alluring flavors and exceptional tenderness. Perfect for stuffing your favorite buns or pancakes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time1 35

Marinate10

Total Time11 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Wei Guo

Ingredients

For marinating

4 duck legs about ½ lb/220g each
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon fine salt
1 teaspoon five spice powder
4 stalk scallions chopped
1 thumb-sized ginger sliced

For deep-frying

Neutral cooking oil

For serving (optional)

Bao buns or duck pancakes
Scallions julienned
Cucumber cut into matchsticks
Sauce of your choice e.g. sweet bean sauce, chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce, plum sauce, etc.

Instructions

Marinate

Pat dry the surface of the duck legs with a paper towel. Pour Shaoxing rice wine over, then sprinkle the mixture of salt and five spice powder. Rub with hands to ensure an even coating.
Put half of the chopped scallions and sliced ginger over a deep plate that can fit into your steamer. Lay duck legs over then scatter the rest of the scallions and ginger on top. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge to marinate for 10 hours or overnight.

Steam

Add plenty of water to the wok/pot that you’re using for steaming (see note 1). Use either a steamer rack or a steamer basket to support the duck plate (remove the plastic wrap). Cover with a tight lid.
Bring water to a full boil then turn the heat down to medium. Leave to steam for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Make sure you check the water level every half an hour and top up with hot water when necessary.
After steaming, transfer the duck legs to another plate or a rack to cool, with the scallions and ginger removed (see note 2 & 3).

Deep-fry

Once the duck legs have cooled down, dry their surface with a paper towel. Start the deep frying process by heating the oil to 375°F/190°C. Carefully slide in the legs (fry in two batches if your cookware is small). Leave to fry 2-3 minutes until they turn golden.
Fish out the legs using a slotted spoon and set aside. Increase the oil temperature to 390°F/200°C. Slide the duck back into the oil and fry for 20 seconds or so to crisp it up further. Take out and rest over paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

Serve

Once the duck has cooled enough to handle, remove the bones from the legs. Cut the meat into small pieces, or shred it with two forks.
Serve the duck as a filling for warm bao buns or Peking duck pancakes, accompanied by scallions, cucumber, and a smear of your preferred sauce.

Notes

1. You can use an Instant Pot to speed up the process. Select the steaming function, set it for 40 minutes, and then allow a natural pressure release.

2. The steaming process can be done in advance. After steaming, wrap the cooled duck tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge or freezer. Deep fry it when you’re ready to serve (defrost first if frozen).

3. Save the juice left in the steaming plate for making broth for noodle soup or wonton soup.

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