Whole ducks are often used for red-roast dishes, but this one features convenient duck legs with thighs that you can get cheap at Asian food shops or from butchers.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
- 10 duck legs (with thighs)
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 cm slices
- 1 large daikon, peeled and cut into 1 cm slices
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Braising Sauce:
- 95o ml naturally brewed soy sauce
- 475 ml good red wine
- 9oo g rock sugar
- 7.5 cm piece of unpeeled fresh ginger, washed and cut into 5 mm slices
- 3 dried bird’s eye chilies
- 1 medium head garlic, halved horizontally
- 1 star anise
- 1 bunch spring onions, white and greens parts, cut into 7.5 cm lengths
- 1 medium unpeeled orange, washed and quartered
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Method:
In a large non-reactive saucepan, combine all the braising sauce ingredients. Add 7oo ml water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more soy sauce if the flavor lacks depth, or more water if the sauce seems too seasoned.
Add the duck legs and simmer for about 2½ hours until the meat falls from the bones. (Quick Tip: You can use a pressure cooker to do this. Cook the duck under pressure for 45 minutes, release the pressure, uncover and proceed as follows.) Twenty minutes before the duck is cooked, add the potatoes and daikon. Test the potatoes with a fork to make sure they’re tender; if not, simmer a bit longer.
Remove the legs and vegetables and keep warm. Skim the cooking sauce (a ladle is good for this). Divide the duck legs and vegetables between four individual plates, spoon sauce over them and serve with the rice.
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