Thrice Cooked Smoked Duck
chinese, loo, pies, poultry, smoke
1 duck
1 salt
2 scallions
2 slice ginger
1 tablespoon fermented bean curd
1 (optional)
1 cup camphor wood chips (cedar
1 would probably work here!)*
1 cup raw rice
1 oil
Rub the duck inside and out with salt. Let sit in a cold place for 2 ~ 3 days. Stuff the duck with scallions and ginger. Steam it over boiling water for 1 hr (the restaurant omitted this step, I think, or rushed it). Remove and let cool. Rub the outside with the fermented bean curd. Smoke duck slowly for 1 hr over camphor wood and raw rice in Cameron smoker or improvised stovetop smoker. Remove and let cool. With a cleaver, halve the duck. Discard scallions and ginger if they haven't fallen out already. Deep-fry the halves at 370+ until skin and bones are crisp. Chop into Chinese-style serving pieces. Serve warm or cool.
* other combustibles may be used, for example orange peel, dry tea leaves, or any sweet-smelling and nontoxic wood.
This is not a tested recipe, but if sort-of followed will produce a dish very similar to that served once upon a time by Yenching Palace in Boston. From: Michael Loo
Yield: 1 servings