Nanjing Salted Duck

Nanjing Salted Duck has over 2000 years of history. It looks plain, but is packed with flavor. Unlike the White-Cut chicken or Bai Qie Ji, which tastes best with the requisite ginger scallion sauce, this Nanjing Salted Duck is just fine as it is. Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu province and a stone’s throw away from Shanghai. Nanjing cuisine (also known as Jinling cuisine, 金陵菜) is a part of Huaiyang cuisine (淮扬菜), one of the four culinary heritages of China, alongside Cantonese cuisine (粤菜), Shandong cuisine (鲁菜) and Sichuan cuisine (川菜). Huaiyang cuisine is, in a word, refined. From ingredient selection to cooking techniques, it is all about emphasizing the ingredients and retaining freshness so the flavors are concentrated but not greasy, light but tasty. Huaiyang chefs are also known for their knife skills. In western cuisine, there is a knife for every job, but in Chinese cuisine, the cleaver is all-purpose. Knife work—rather, cleaver work?—in China is serious business. In a Chinese documentary serial called A Bite of China (you should check it out on YouTube—food porn for all!), I remember one scene of two brothers who practiced their knife skills by cutting tofu. The goal is to cut it thinner than a toothpick; they did this for hours, with sweat pouring down their faces. Today, I would like to use this Nanjing Salted Duck to introduce you to Huaiyang cuisine. If you ever go to Nanjing, you’ll see Nanjing salted ducks sold everywhere: hanging in restaurant windows; vacuum packed for easy transport; gift-boxed for souvenirs. Last time Bill and I were in Nanjing, we bought two ducks: one to share with everyone in our travel group and one to bring back home to eat later. They lived up to their reputation, and our only regret of the trip was that we didn’t buy more! It probably doesn’t surprise you that the people of Nanjing eat more duck than they do chicken.

Recipe Instructions

Rinse the duck thoroughly under cold water, discarding any of the giblets that came with it. Soak it in cold water for an hour to get rid of any impurities. In the meantime, add the salt and Sichuan peppercorns to a flat-bottomed pan over medium heat. Dry roast them by stirring constantly for 5-8 minutes until the salt turns slightly yellow. Turn off the heat and let cool. Be sure not to burn the Sichuan peppercorns. Drain the duck from the water and thoroughly pat it dry with paper towels, inside and out. Rub the salt and Sichuan peppercorns all over the duck, inside and out. Use all of the mixture, making sure that you use at least 1/3 for the cavity. Let the duck marinate, uncovered, for three hours in the refrigerator. While the duck is marinating, you can prepare your spice pouch. Place the star anise, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and whole white (or black) peppercorns on a square of cheesecloth and tie tightly with kitchen twine. Set aside. Next, prepare a pot that is big enough to cook the duck whole. Fill it with 12-15 cups of water, enough to submerge the whole duck. Add the spice pouch along with the ginger and scallions. Bring the pot of water to a boil, and add the Shaoxing wine. Simmer over low heat. Once the duck is finished marinating, carefully lower it (along with all the salt and Sichuan peppercorns used to marinate it) in the prepared pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, carefully lift the duck out of the water in order to drain the water that has accumulated in the cavity; then lower it back into the pot, and bring the water to a boil again. This ensures there is no cold water trapped inside the cavity of the duck. Immediately turn the heat down to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. During these 15 minutes, the water should be hot and simmering slightly, but it shouldn’t be at a full boil. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot sit, covered, for 40–45 minutes. Once the 40-45 minutes has passed, transfer the duck to a cutting board. Lightly brush the outside of the duck with sesame oil and let it cool completely before cutting and serving.