Description
The star of Taiwanese/Cantonese banquets where a duck is steamed for hours with herbal spices until ultimately soft, then deep-fried whole in high-temp oil until 'ultra-crunchy'.
Restaurants serving Crispy Fried Duck
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Whole duck
- Five-spice powder
- Star anise
- Sichuan pepper
- Pepper salt
- Frying oil
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Duck Marinade] Rub a whole gutted duck with five-spice, star anise, Sichuan pepper, salt, white pepper, soy sauce, ginger, and scallions; steep overnight in fridge.
- [Steaming (Lifeblood)] Put marinated duck in a deep dish, steam slowly in a steamer for '2-
- hours'. Soften to the absolute limit until chopsticks pierce easily and meat falls off the bone.
- Remove steamed duck, cool completely to evaporate surface moisture (residual water causes oil explosions when frying).
- [Deep-frying Whole] Heat massive oil in a wok (180-200°C high temp), drop the steamed duck in whole.
- Baste hot oil over the duck surface with a ladle (Jiao You), frying until the skin turns reddish-brown and 'ultra-crunchy'.
- Drain, chop boldly with a cleaver, and plate. Serve with pepper salt.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Complex spice aroma of Five-spice、Star anise、Sichuan pepper
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Bone-in chicken thigh (mimicking the cooking process)
Pairing
Shaoxing wine or Red Wine
Trivia
[For Adults] If Peking Duck is for skin, Crispy Duck is for the 'contrast between ultimately softened meat and crispy skin'. The laborious steam-then-fry process means it's a 'Shou Lu Cai (chef's proud dish)' found only in old-school banquets or high-end restaurants. Bones are often fried crispy too, making it the supreme snack for Shaoxing wine.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Eat the long-steamed 'flaky, dry' duck meat along with the crispy amber skin, tightening the flavor with special pepper salt!
Allergen
Chicken (Duck), Soy, Wheat (from marinade)