Shanghai-Style Sauce Duck

酱鸭

Shanghai-Style Sauce Duck — Jiangsu-ZhejiangShanghai home cooking.

Ingredients

• whole duck (2.2–2.5 kg), giblets removed
• dark soy sauce
• rock sugar
• Shaoxing wine
• star anise
• ginger, 3 thick slices

Instructions

1. Rinse duck inside and out; pat *completely* dry with paper towels. Rub entire surface with 1 tbsp dark soy and let air-dry uncovered in fridge 2 hours. (Skin appears taut, matte, and slightly wrinkled.)
2. Combine remaining dark soy, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, star anise, ginger, 1 tsp white pepper, and 750 ml water in a stockpot large enough to submerge duck. Bring to simmer. (Surface shimmering with tiny, steady bubbles.)
3. Carefully lower duck into pot. Weight down with heatproof plate to keep submerged. Simmer gently (barely bubbling) for 90 minutes, turning once halfway. (Duck floats slightly but stays covered; liquid shivers, no rolling boil.)
4. Remove duck; strain braising liquid into clean saucepan. Skim off solidified fat. Simmer liquid over medium-high heat until reduced by half and syrupy (about 15 minutes). (Liquid coats spoon thickly and drips slowly in single drops.)
5. Brush warm reduced sauce generously over duck while still hot. Let cool completely on rack, then refrigerate uncovered overnight. (Surface glistens with deep amber lacquer, slightly tacky to touch.)