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Eight - Jewel Duck
(Pa - Pao - Ya)
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| What You Need: |
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1 cup glutinous rice
2 dried Chinese mushrooms, 1 to 1½ inches in diameter
10 or 12 dried shrimp
A 4- to 5-pound duck
1 cup quartered, canned whole water-pack French or Italian chestnuts
2 tablespoons peanut oil, or flavorless vegetable oil
¼ pound lean, boneless pork, finely ground
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, or pale dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup canned whole gingko nuts
3 peeled and washed fresh water chestnuts or drained canned water chestnuts, sliced 1/8 inch thick
A ¼-inch-thick slice of cooked Smithfield ham, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 teaspoons salt
Fresh Chinese parsley sprigs (cilantro), or substitute fresh curly or flat-leaf parsley
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| How To Cook: |
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PREPARE AHEAD:
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1. In a bowl, cover the rice with cold water and soak for 2 hours. Then pour enough boiling water into the lower part of a steamer to come within an inch of the cooking rack (or use a steamer substitute). Line the rack with a double thickness of paper towels.
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2. Now drain the rice and spread it evenly over the lined rack. Over high heat, bring the water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Cover the pan tightly and steam the rice for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
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3. Keep a kettle of boiling water on the stove to replenish the water in the steamer if necessary. Remove the rice from the pot, place it in a bowl and cover it with aluminum foil to keep warm.
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4. In a small bowl, cover the dried shrimp with ¼ cup of warm water and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes. Do not drain the shrimp or discard the water.
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5. In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with ½ cup of warm water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes. Then remove them with a slotted spoon and discard the water. With a cleaver or large, sharp knife, cut away and discard the tough stems of the mushrooms and chop the caps fine.
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6. Have the above ingredients, and the oil, pork, sugar, wine, soy sauce, gingko nuts, water chestnuts, ham, salt and parsley sprigs-plus trussing pins or clips or a large needle and strong thread for closing the cavities of the duck-within easy reach.
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MEANWHILE, BONE THE DUCK:
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1. Pull the neck skin taut and cut it off to within an inch or so of the body, using kitchen scissors as shown or a sharp, heavy knife.
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2. Fold remaining neck skin as far back as it will go and, with tiny snips or cuts, free meat around the neck cavity from the carcass.
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3. Wiggle each wing to find the joint where it meets the carcass, then cut through the joint to detach the wing. Leave the wing itself intact.
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4. Continue to free the meat from the carcass with tiny snips or cuts, turning the duck over and rolling the skin back as you work.
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5. Free the meat around each thigh and cut the joint to detach the drumstick from the thigh. Leave the thigh bones on the carcass.
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6. Free the meat halfway down the length of the drumstick bone then cut off and remove the exposed half of the bone. Leave the bottom intact.
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7. Cut the meat away from the rest of the carcass, always cutting as close to the bones as you can. Try never to pierce the duck's skin.
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8. Cut through the joint where the tail bone is attached to the backbone of the duck, leaving the tail with the skin and meat. Then turn the skin of the now boned duck right side out again.
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TO COOK:
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1. Set a 12-inch wok or 10-inch skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Pour in the 2 tablespoons of oil, swirl it about in the pan and heat for another 30 seconds, turning the heat down to moderate if the oil begins to smoke.
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2. Add the pork and stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes until the pork loses its reddish color. Stir in the wine and soy sauce, then add the mushrooms, gingko nuts, water chestnuts, rice, ham, shrimp and soaking water.
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3. Mix them together thoroughly and gently fold in the chestnuts, being careful not to let the chestnuts crumble. Transfer the entire contents of this stuffing mixture from the pan to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
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4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the inside surfaces of the duck with the 2 teaspoons of salt, then-with clips, trussing pins or needle and strong thread-close up the neck opening very securely.
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5. Pack the stuffing loosely into the cavity of the duck and close up the tail opening in exactly the same fashion as you already closed the neck. Pat, shape and mold the body of the duck back into its original shape and place it, breast side up, on a rack set in a deep roasting pan.
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6. Add about 1 inch of water to the pan. Roast in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°F and roast the duck for 1½ hours longer.
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7. When the duck is done, remove its clips, trussing pins or thread. Place the duck on a heated serving platter. Decorate the platter with fresh parsley sprigs and serve at once.
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8. At the table, carve the duck into 8 portions by first cutting it in half lengthwise and then making 3 evenly spaced crosswise cuts.
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