Twice cooked sticky duck
PREP: 20 MINS
COOK:2 HRS
plus overnight chilling
EASY SERVES 6
This recipe for tender, juicy duck with a honey glaze is staggered and takes out all the stress of doing it on the day
For the duck
1 strip pared orange zest
6 duck legs
6 garlic cloves, smashed
thumb-sized piece ginger, sliced
1 ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
100ml dark soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
50ml Shaohsing rice wine
To glaze
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
To serve
halved and sliced cucumber
coriander leaves
sliced chilli
cooked rice
Method
The day before eating, tip all the ingredients for the duck into a pan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hr 30 mins until the duck is really tender (or a slow cooker for 4 hrs would be ideal). Remove the duck from the liquid, leave to cool, then chill in the fridge, uncovered. Chill the liquid separately too. Can be done up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge, covered, or frozen for up to 3 months.
The next day, remove all the fat from the stock, pour 400ml into a pan and simmer down by a third, or until intensely flavoured. The remaining stock can be frozen and used another time to poach meat or poultry.
Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. For the glaze, mix 1 tbsp of the reduced stock with the honey and five-spice. Put the duck legs on a baking tray, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 25-30 mins until they are hot and the skin is lacquered.
Arrange some cucumber on a serving platter with the duck on the side, then scatter over the coriander. Add some sliced chilli to the simmered stock and serve on the side for spooning over the rice.
