Young Ginger and Sour Plum Braised Duck

Why people make this dish

Young ginger (zi jiang) comes into season once a year, and every year Bro Niu makes a batch of pickled young ginger to keep in the fridge — sliced thin and preserved in a sweet-sour brine, it works as an appetite-opening pre-meal nibble or as a flavour accent in cooking. This particular dish, braised duck stuffed with pickled ginger and sour plums, is more involved than an everyday weeknight dinner, but the payoff is generous: one whole duck stretches across two or three meals, and the sweet-tart-savory braising sauce transforms into a gloriously sticky glaze. In traditional food therapy, young ginger, sour plum and duck together are considered a warming, digestive-supporting combination.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for people with poor appetite, slow digestion, or a tendency toward food stagnation after heavy meals
• Duck is considered cooler in nature compared to chicken — making it a reasonable choice in warmer weather
• Those who are avoiding duck for dietary reasons can substitute pork ribs

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Young ginger (zi jiang): Warming and pungent; newly harvested ginger is gentler and less fiery than mature ginger, and is traditionally used to warm the stomach, resolve dampness and stimulate appetite
• Sour plums (suan mei): Sour and slightly astringent; associated in traditional food therapy with stimulating digestive juices, relieving food stagnation, and generating a refreshing sense of salivation
• Slab sugar (pian tang): Unrefined Chinese brown sugar in tablet form; used to balance the sourness and add depth and colour to the braise
• Duck: Considered a neutral-to-cool protein; less warming than chicken, often used in summer cooking

Ingredients (4–6 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Whole fresh duck	1 bird	Pat dry before coating
Pickled young ginger	4 liang (~150 g)	Homemade (see tip) or store-bought
Sour plums	4 liang (~150 g)	Stones removed
Chinese slab sugar (pian tang)	4 liang (~150 g)	Crushed
Maltose (mai ya tang)	to coat	Can substitute honey
Soy sauce	to taste	For coating and braising
Rice wine	to taste	Added to the braise

Method

1. Wash and dry the duck thoroughly. Combine melted maltose (or honey) with a little soy sauce and brush the mixture evenly all over the outside of the duck. Hang or prop the duck to air-dry.
2. Remove the stones from the sour plums. Crush the sour plums together with the slab sugar. Stuff this mixture, along with the pickled young ginger, into the cavity of the duck. Seal the cavity shut with a bamboo skewer.
3. Heat a wok over medium-low heat. Place the whole stuffed duck into the wok and turn slowly to pan-fry all sides until evenly golden brown. Pour off the rendered fat.
4. Place a bamboo rack or trivet in the bottom of a deep pot to prevent sticking. Rest the duck breast-side down and add just enough water to cover the back. Add rice wine and seasoning.
5. Cover tightly and braise over low heat for about 30 minutes. Then carefully flip the duck and braise for another 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes sticky.
6. Remove the stuffing from the cavity and set aside. Chop the duck into pieces and arrange on a serving plate. Bring the ginger and braising sauce to a boil, pour over the duck and serve.

Bro Niu’s tips

If you do not have maltose, honey works perfectly as a substitute. Placing a bamboo mat at the bottom of the pot prevents the duck from sticking and burning. The pickled young ginger Bro Niu uses in this recipe is homemade: scrape the ginger skin, slice thinly, toss with one tablespoon of coarse salt to draw out moisture, place in a colander and air-dry for two hours, then submerge in cooled sweet-and-sour brine (sugar and vinegar cooked together) and store in a cool spot. It takes about four to five months to fully mature, but is wonderful to have on hand. For the sour plums, look for them at sauce or condiment shops, or at general grocery stores. Pork ribs can replace the duck if preferred.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (YANI): Where do I buy the sour plums? Can I substitute pork ribs for duck? Bro Niu: Sour plums can be found at condiment or sauce shops, and at general grocery stores. You can definitely use pork ribs instead of duck.

• Q (Karenc): What seasoning and how much? Bro Niu: Just a little light soy sauce — about one tablespoon is enough.

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Published August 2, 2014 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.