I like to eat duck. Period. My favorite duck dishes are Beijing Roast Duck, Nanjing Braised Duck (南京燒鴨), and Nanjing Salted Duck. Among them, Nanjing Salted Duck is probably the easiest one to make.
Ingredients:
1 duck (~5 lbs)
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns (花椒)
Broth to cook the duck in (see Note below)
Chop duck into 4 large pieces. It is easier to marinate and cook this way. Peel and discard as much loose fat as possible, but keep the skin, it is the best part. Coat duck inside and out with salt, Sichuan peppercorns in a large bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight.
Place duck in a large pot, covered by broth, use high heat till it is boiling, then use warm/low heat to keep it just boiling for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, leave pot covered on hot stove for two more hours. Take duck out, wash off Sichuan peppercorns, cool in refrigerator, then slice it into thin pieces. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Note: The first time you make salted duck, use plain water with at least two tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of Sichuan peppercorns for broth. After each cooking, filter, chill and scrape off the fat on top, the remaining gel like stuff is the broth you can use over and over (just add water as needed to cover the duck). I keep mine in the freezer. It can last a long time.
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