Seven Spice Braised Duck

If turkey is the official bird of Thanksgiving, then duck is official bird of Lunar New Year. My family buys the best looking roast duck in Chinatown for the big family dinner every year. In past years, I would also head to Chinatown to find the meatiest duck, but this year I’m making my own! I wish people cooked duck more often. I think the problem is that a lot of grocery stores stock duck in limited supply. When I was in Cleveland last month, the only place I could find duck was at the only Wholefoods on the west side and I had to ask the butcher for it and they had to dig through the freezer to find it. I felt pretty proud of my stash of duck breast as I carefully transported it home to make dinner for my family!

Here in the East Bay, Berkeley Bowl never fails me, except one week I was able to buy packed duck quarters (leg and thigh) but the next week they only had whole ducks available. I’ll admit that my butchery skills are in progress, so I asked the kind man behind the counter to break down the duck for me. The perk of purchasing a whole duck is that the price is so much lower! Almost half the price per pound compared to just duck breast or quarters. So that’s just a little pro tip if you’re lucky enough to find duck at your local grocery store. Don’t be afraid to asked the butcher for some help!

So if you’re able to find duck, then you’re obviously on the right path to deliciously tender braised duck with loads of spices. Don’t feel intimated cooking duck, a braised duck broken down into parts is especially straightforward. First, you want to render the duck fat over low heat. Be patient as the pan warms up and gradually melts the fat and crisps up the skin. Ducks are water birds, which is why they have so much fat. If you don’t render the fat then the braise will be on the greasy side. Save the rendered fat for another use, like popcorn or roast potatoes!

Once the fat is rendered, you want to take the duck out and make your braising liquid. The braise consists of shaoxing wine, water, reg and dark soy, brown sugar, and a blend of spices (I couldn’t decided if I should include the ginger as a spice to make it 8, but I’m calling it seven spices for now). Bring everything up to a simmer, nestle the duck back into the pan, cover with a lid, and move on with your life as the duck braises. The house will smell wonderful and after a couple hours the braise will have reduced and the duck will be fall off the bone tender.

Seven Spice Braised Duck

Serves 4 to 6

4 star anise

5 cardamom pods

6 cloves

1 tsp sichuan peppercorns

1 tsp white peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 1/2 to 3 lb duck quarters or mix with breasts

1/2 cup Shaoxing

4 cups water

2 tbsp regular soy sauce

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

3” ginger, thinly sliced

1. Fill a small spice bag (or make a bundle with a piece of cheese cloth) with star anise, cardamom pods, cloves, sichuan peppercorns, white peppercorns, and cumin seeds.

2. Heat a large braiser or dutch oven over medium low heat. While the pan is still cold (just heating up), add the duck skin-side down. Allow the duck fat to slowly render and continue to cook the duck until the skin is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Flip the duck and cook until the other side of the skin is golden brown, 10 minutes. Transfer the duck to plate and pour the rendered duck fat into a heat proof container and save for another use.

3. Add Shaoxing wine to the pan and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Add water, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, ginger, and spice bag. Give everything a good stir and increase heat to bring to a simmer. Nestle the duck back into the pan. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Braise the duck until most of the liquid has cooked off and the duck is very tender, flip the duck occasionally so it cooks evenly, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Transfer the duck to a serving platter, allow the duck to cool slightly and then garnish with green onions and serve. Quarters can be served individually and breasts can either be shredded or cut into slices.

1. Bonus step: Discard the spice bag, cinnamon, and ginger. Bring the temp up to medium and continue to simmer and stir the sauce until reduced, 5 to 10 minutes depending on how much liquid is left in the pot. Pour the reduced sauce over the duck.