Beer-Braised Duck
Beer-braised duck is a famous red-braised recipe that most Chinese people know. Every region and family has its own way of making it, but one thing is the same, we all need to use beer. Similar to Western style braising, the meat is first browned, and then simmered in an acidic or alcohol-based broth. Red-braising (this recipe uses the 红烧 or hóngshāo method, the other method being the Lu method which requires very long simmering times) also uses some sugar and a dark soy sauce during the braising process to give the meat a red color and rich, savory flavor. Similar to our Red-Braised Pork recipe, I also use star anise and bay leaves. However, this dish also has a spicy Sichuan flavor from the chili peppers and doubanjiang (red bean paste). Among poultry, duck has a unique taste because duck is an omnivore. So, the taste of the meat itself is stronger than that of chicken. This also gives raw duck meat an unpleasant smell. The word for this in Chinese translates to English as "fishy smell" but it does not mean that duck smells like fish. Rather its a euphemism for an unpleasant odor. When processing duck, we usually need to use more ingredients to remove the fishy smell. This is the key to appetizing duck recipes. The beer I chose has 8% alcohol content, which is higher than most Western beers except some micro-brews. The long simmering time in beer removes the fishy smell of duck meat, while at the same time making the duck meat have some beer flavor.
Equipment
- 1 wok
- 1 wok spatula
Ingredients
- 500 g duck meat
- 20 g ginger
- 5 cloves garlic
- 500 ml beer
- 10 dried chilies
- 2 star anise
- 3 bay leaves
- 15 ml oil
- 5 ml Pixian dòubànjiàng (red bean paste)
- 6 ml dark soy sauce
- 10 ml light soy sauce
- 2 ml sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. You can use any part of the duck. Defrost the duck if frozen. Prepare the other ingredients, star anise, bay leaves, and dried chilies, and wash them with water.
- Cut the ginger and garlic into large pieces. Cut the dried chili into ½-length pieces.
- Cut the duck meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat your wok over high heat. Then add 15ml (1 tbsp) of oil to the wok, and add the ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and dried chili peppers.20 g ginger, 5 cloves garlic, 10 dried chilies, 2 star anise, 15 ml oil, 3 bay leaves
- Saute the aromatics until you smell the aroma, then add the duck meat and use high heat to quickly sear the surface of the duck. When the surface of the meat changes color on all sides, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low depending on your stove. The goal is not to fry the meat, but to brown it and slowly release the fat.500 g duck meat
- Continue to brown the duck over medium heat to release the fat in the duck meat.
- Add the dòubàn jiàng (red bean paste) and dark soy sauce. Stir well to evenly coat and color the duck meat.5 ml Pixian dòubànjiàng , 6 ml dark soy sauce
- Pour in the beer and simmer over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes.500 ml beer
- When the broth is reduced to ⅓, season with 10ml soy sauce and 2ml sugar. Stir to mix evenly and continue reducing.10 ml light soy sauce, 2 ml sugar
- Remove the duck from the wok and discard the bay leaves, star anise, and other ingredients. Place the duck pieces on a serving plate, garnish with some scallions and you are done.
Notes
- You can use the duck with or without the skin. You can use duck breast if you prefer, or any part of the duck.
- The beer I used has an 8% alcohol content.
- There are several varieties of Chinese chili peppers. We typically use, in declining order of heat: xiaomila (the small, hot "millet" peppers), chaotianjiao (the "facing heaven" peppers that look like bullet heads), or er jing tiao. Generally, the longer the pepper the lower the heat level.
Nutrition
Calories: 615kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 16gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 250mgPotassium: 367mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 548IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!