Memories in the Cooking

I have tried roasted duck a few times. This is another try on the copycat-version of Dian Xiao Er's Dang Gui Roasted Duck.  Ingredients: - 1 whole duck, butterflied  - 15 pieces of Dang Gui, blended into powder  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 2 tablespoons of honey - 1 tablespoon of white vinegar  - 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 1 teaspoon of white pepper powder  - black tea from 4 teabags  Procedures: 1) In a bowl, add Dang Gui powder, oyster sauce, tea leaves, 1 tablespoon of honey, five-spice powder and white pepper powder. Mix well to form a paste.  2) Coat the duck (flesh side) with the paste. Rub some of the paste under the duck skin too.  3) Lay the duck on a baking tray. Wipe the duck skin dry. Let it fan-dry for 1 hour.  4) Roast it in the oven for 1 hour at 160 degree celsius. Every 30 minutes, brush it with honey and vinegar mixture.  5) To brown the skin, roast it at 210 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Let th...

Another dish that my elder boy requested for his post-PSLE meal - Foie Gras.  Ingredients: - 4 slices of Foie Gras (pat-dry with kitchen towel) - butter  - balsamic vinegar  - pepper  - salt  - honey  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add butter until it is foaming and smoking hot.  2) Add Foie Gras and pan-fry it for 1 mins on each side.  3) Place it on a bed of salad vegetables. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and honey. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. 

I always love Chinese Roasted Duck. My favourite part is the crispy duck skin. I once tried roasting a whole duck and almost set my whole oven on fire and smoked the whole home! Here is my attempt at a smaller scale with some easy steps.  Ingredients: - 2 tablespoons of honey  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder  - 1 tablespoon of white vinegar  - 2 duck legs (can replace with 2 duck breasts) Procedures: 1) Mix 1 tablespoon of honey, oyster sauce, five-spice powder and white pepper powder to form a paste. 2) Rub it on the meat-side of the duck.  3) Pat dry the skin side of the duck. Place it on a tray, uncovered. Let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.  4) Roast the duck in oven or air-fryer at 160 degree celsius for 20 minutes.  5) Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.  6) Brush it on the duck skin. 7) Roast it for another ...

I finally roasted a whole duck. This recipe is wonderful as it adds a delicate taste to an otherwise gamey duck meat.  Ingredients: - 1 duck (about 2kg), pat dry  - earl grey tea from about 4 tea bags  - 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 2 teaspoons of salt  - 5 potatoes, cube  - 1 onion, halved  - 1 bulb of garlic  Procedures  1) Rub tea leaves, five-spice powder and salt all around the duck and inside the cavity.  2) Stuff onion and garlic into the cavity of the duck and stitch it up using a satay stick.  3) Score the duck skin. Let it continue to air dry for 1 hour.  4) Place the duck (breast-side up) on a rack in a roasting tray. Let it roast for 1 hour at 180 degree celsius.  5) Pour away the duck fat from the roasting tray. Add potatoes into the roasting tray. Transfer the onion and garlic in the duck cavity go the roasting tray. Mix well.  6) Place the duck back into the rack in the roasting tray (breast-side ...

This is a cheat-version of Cantonese Roast Duck or Peking Duck. The marinate is asian but the cooking method is not.  Ingredients: - 1 duck breast (cut into 2 halves) - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 2 tablespoons of huatiao wine  - 1 teaspoon of five spice powder  Procedures: 1) Marinate duck breast with light soya sauce, huatiao wine and five spice powder overnight. 2) Pat dry the duck breast. Score the skin.  3) Place the duck breast, skin-side down, on a frying pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes until the duck fat is rendered and the duck skin is brown and crispy.  4) Turn it over to the other side and pan-fry for 5 minutes.  5) Let the duck breast rest and then slice it.  6) Eat the duck with wrap, hoisin sauce, shredded cucumber, carrots and spring onions. 

I love Dang Gui. I like the Dang Gui Roasted Duck from Dian Xiao Er. However, I am not very keen to make roasted duck after my last attempt which made the oven really oily. So, I decided to make a stew version instead - Dang Gui Black Fungus Duck. Ingredients:  - duck pieces  - 10 pieces of black fungus - 10 pieces of dried mushrooms  - 1 handful of wolfberries  - 1 handful of red dates  - 4 pieces of Dang Gui  - 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce  - 1 tablespoon of Chinese wine  - 1 tabelspoon of light soya sauce  Procedures: 1) Soak black fungus and dried mushrooms and cut them into smaller pieces.  2) Place the 2 duck pieces in a frying pan, skin-side down. Let it cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the duck fat is rendered and the skin is brown.  3) Drain the duck fat away.  4) Add oyster sauce, light soya sauce and 1 cup of water to the duck.  4) Add red dates, wolfberries, fungus, mushro...

My repertoire for duck recipe is very limited. Before this dish, the only duck recipe I knew is Teochew Braised Duck. So, I am so happy to try this classic french duck dish and know that it is so easy!  Ingredients:  - 1 whole duck breast, deboned and cut into 2 portions - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1 teaspoon of pepper - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs  - 2 oranges - 1 lemon - 1 tablespoon of sugar  - some salad vegetables Procedures: 1) Score the skin of the duck breasts. Season the duck breast with salt, pepper and mixed herbs.  2) In low fire, grill the duck breasts skin-side down until the skin is crispy and the fat is rendered. It will take about 5 mins.  3) Flip over the duck breasts and cook for another 5 minutes. If need be, flip the duck to the sides for future browning and cooking. This will take another 2 more minutes. Place the duck breasts on a serving plate and let it rest.  4) Add lemon juice, orange juice (of one orange), sugar to the remaining du...

This dish is dedicated to my Teochew heritage - Teochew Braised Duck. The leftover braising sauce can be used to make flavoured rice, duck porridge and kuay chap. Ingredients: - 1 whole duck  - 2 pieces of tau kua - 6 pieces of tau pok  - half a cup of caster sugar  - 1 thumb-size ginger, sliced  - 1 thumb-size galangal, sliced  - 1 bulb of garlic, unskinned  - 7 shallots, unskinned - 3 cinnamon sticks  - 6 anistars  - 2 tablespoon of five spice powder  - 1 cup of dark soya sauce  - 1/2 cup of light soya sauce - salt and sugar - parsley, chopped Procedures: 1) Scrub the duck with coarse salt. Wash off the salt. 2) In a large pot, add some vegetable oil and caster sugar. Heat until the sugar caremalised. 3) Add galangal, ginger, garlic, shallots, anistars, cinnamon sticks, dark soya sauce, five spice powder and light soya sauce. 4) Add duck to the pot. Add enough hot water to submerge the duck. ...

Smoked duck crostini - an impressive starter for home parties. Smoked duck is available from wholesalers near my place at the Woodlands area (i.e. Fasslers, Melvados). So, this recipe is so simple and only involves mixing and assembling. Ingredients: - 1 pack of cherry tomatos, cut into quarters - half smoked duck breast, cut into strips - 2 tablespoons of jam - cream cheese - 2 baguettes, cut into slices - olive oil Procedures: 1) Lay the baguettes slices in an oven tray and spread some oil on it. Bake it at 180 degree celsius for 5 mins. 2) Mix cherry tomatos, smoked duck and jam. 3) Spread cream cheese on the toasted baguettes. 4) Place cherry tomatos and smoked duck on the baguette slices.