Glazed Chinese Duck with Redbelly Blood Orange and Ginger

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes plus overnight drying
  • Cooking Time: 1 hour 50 mins – 2 hours 10 mins
  • Servings: 4
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This dish has all the flavours of authentic roast duck with an additional sauce. You will need to start it the day before you wish to eat it. If you can only buy frozen duck then thaw it in the fridge three days before you want to serve it.

 

Ingredients

  • 2kg approx whole duck
  • 3 star anise
  • 4 cloves
  • 12 fennel seeds
  • 5cm knob fresh ginger, grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 large Redbelly blood orange, zested then cut into 6 wedges

 

Glaze

  • 1 cup strained Redbelly blood orange juice (4-5 Redbelly)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons (40ml) dark soy sauce
  • 5cm piece of ginger, peeled, thickly sliced
  • 3 star anise

 

Redbelly Blood Orange Sauce

  • 3 Redbelly blood oranges
  • 5 teaspoons (25g) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (40mls) Chinese black vinegar
  • 250ml duck stock (made from neck)
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 teaspoons redcurrant jelly
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour

 

To serve

  • Noodles of choice
  • Wilted buk choy, pak choi or other Asian green

Instructions

  1. For the glaze: combine ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring to the boil then simmer until reduced and thick, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat, remove ginger and star anise and set aside.
  2. Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove neck and any giblets and place in a saucepan and cover with I litre water, bring to the boil then simmer to make some stock. Skim occasionally. Prick duck skin all over with a skewer making sure not to penetrate meat.
  3. Put the star anise, cloves and fennel seeds into a dry frying pan over a medium heat and dry fry for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Combine with ginger, garlic and Redbelly zest in a small bowl. Rub this into the cavity of the duck, leaving any excess bits of fat or skin intact to help close it up. Insert the Redbelly wedges. Poke the wings underneath the duck. Skewer the duck cavity closed with a metal or bamboo skewer or toothpicks. Tie the legs together.
  4. Place the duck, breast side up, on a rack in the sink. Bring a full kettle of water to the boil and pour half of it gradually over the duck, turn and pour the rest over the other side. Refill the kettle and repeat three times. This tightens the skin the skin and help give a crisp finish. It also makes it easy to pull out any ends of feathers left in the skin. Pat dry all over with paper towel and place on a rack in roasting pan lined with baking paper. Brush all over with glaze. Finish breast-side-up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered. Strain stock and also refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate remaining glaze.
  5. Pre-heat oven to 160’C while duck and glaze come back to room temperature. Roast duck for 2 hours, carefully pouring off fat, painting the duck with glaze and turning over every 30 minutes.  Tent with foil if glaze begins to get too dark. Finish with breast side up for the last 10 minutes. Duck is done when juices run clear when the thickest part of the leg is pierced with a skewer. Remove to a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and rest 20 minutes.
  6. For the sauce: Remove duck stock from fridge. Remove any fat which has set on the surface, you should have 250ml. Pare the zest from one orange with a vegetable peeler and cut it into long, very thin strips. Cut flesh into segments. Blanch zest in boiling water for 5 seconds, then drain and refresh under cold water. Drain on kitchen paper. Squeeze remaining 2 oranges to have 150 mls strained juice. Put the sugar and vinegar in a small pan and place over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook until thick and bubble. Carefully add the stock, redcurrant jelly, orange juice and star anise. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until it has reduced by three-quarters to about 150ml, approx. 10 minutes. Remove star anise. Blend cornflour with a teaspoon cold water and whisk into sauce, simmer 1 minute after it comes to the boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add redbelly segments to warm and pour into a sauce boat.
  7. Use poultry shears to cut into quarters (remove backbone first) or carve into legs, thighs and breast, then slice the breast. Garnish with orange zest strips, or chop finely. Serve immediately with noodles and pak choi, if desired and sauce.

Notes

Short of time: Replace cooking spices with Chinese 5 spice. Or buy a ready-cooked Chinese roast duck and serve with the Redbelly Blood Orange sauce.

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