This is the first time ever we gotten a whole duck from the market. We usually just dine in the Chinese restaurant if we craved for ducks. However, i am giving the duck a trial cooking in my own kitchen.
Eight treasures duck is a very traditional Chinese dish from Fu-Jian Province, China. Why named eight treasures? The very authentic cooking ways have eight different ingredients stuffed in the duck stomach, but my version i have reduced some of the ingredients with the same style of cooking.
Baked Eight Treasures Duck (焗烤八宝鸭)
Ingredients
Whole Duck 1.5 lbs
green scallion – 10 stalks (tie into knots)
Water – 1/2 cup (use the water from soaking dried shrimp and shiitake mushroom)
Star anise – 2 pcs
cinnamon stick – 1 pc
Stuffing Ingredients:
frozen chestnuts – 1 cup
lotus seeds – 1/2 cup
shiitake mushroom – 4-5 pcs (slice thin)
dried shrimps – 2 tbsp
mince garlic – 1 tbsp
Duck fat – 1/2 tbsp
Black pepper – to taste
Salt – to taste
Marinated sauce (marinated overnight)
Dark soy sauce – 2 1/2 tbsp
Light soy sauce – 3 tbsp
Oyster sauce – 2 tbsp
Sesame oil – 1 1/2 tbsp
Ginger – 4-5 slices
Garlic – 4-5 cloves
Shao Xing Wine – 2 tbsp
Steps to make Baked Eight Treasures Duck (焗烤八宝鸭)
- Heat up the cast iron with duck fat and add in the mince garlic
- Add in all stuffing ingredients
- Stir fry evenly and add in salt and peppers
- Set aside
- Pre-heat the oven at 375F
- Insert the stuffing ingredients into the duck stomach and seal it up with wooden sticks (I am using tooth picks as i do not have the long wooden sticks at home)
- Put the whole duck on top of the baking rack and start baking each side for 15 minutes (just to makesure the duck and its skin stay in good shape). Keep the sauces aside for later use
- Prepare a large baking pan to fit the duck. Before this, insert the green scallion, ginger, star anise and cinnamon sticks into the sauces. Then add in the duck on top of those ingredients.
- Insert the entire dish into the oven to bake for 1 hour 30 minutes at 350F.
- During the baking period, use a spoon to wash the duck with the sauce every 15-20 minutes
- Once the duck is cooked, the balance of the sauce is kept aside in a smaller cooking pot
- Boiled the sauce become thicker as the dipping sauce upon serving.