The Old Cook Told Me: Beer Duck – Don’t Just Add Beer, Add ‘It’ for More Flavor and Aroma
Beer duck is a dish with a unique flavor, especially in Hunan province. Beer duck is particularly popular and appears on the table during Chinese New Year and other festivals. It can be said that beer duck is a traditional delicacy. The method of making beer duck is not difficult, and many people make it, but if you master some techniques, it will be more delicious. For example, Old Mrs. Hou told me: when making beer duck, don't just add beer, if you add a little 'it' more, it will be more fragrant and flavorful.
Once I was chatting with Old Mrs. Hou and asked her how to make better beer duck, she told me then that when making beer duck, don't just add beer, and when frying again, you can add a little (doubanjiang - fermented broad bean paste), which helps to enhance the flavor, so adding more can make beer duck more fragrant and flavorful. Today, I'm going to share Old Mrs. Hou's method with you.
Preparation materials: one duck, two bottles of beer, dried chili peppers, green chili peppers, garlic, ginger, (liao jiu - cooking wine), (doubanjiang - fermented broad bean paste), soy sauce (dian jiu), old soy sauce, salt, chicken essence (jī jīng).
First, remove the duck's internal organs and feathers, clean it, and then cut it into pieces. After cutting, rinse it several times with running water, and then control the moisture before putting it into a basin. Then pour in an appropriate amount of (liao jiu - cooking wine) and ginger slices, and stir until mixed. Let it marinate for ten minutes, which can remove the fishy smell.
Next, slice the garlic, ginger, and cut dried chili peppers and green peppers into segments. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil temperature reaches 60% hot, first pour in the duck head, duck paw, duck legs, and duck wings. When the duck meat surface is slightly yellowish, then pour in the rest of the duck meat. Use medium fire to quickly stir-fry, so that the duck meat is evenly heated. The frying time can be longer, but be careful not to burn it, which will make it more fragrant when eaten.
After the duck meat is fried, add ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and three spoonfuls of (doubanjiang - fermented broad bean paste), and stir-fry until mixed. Then pour in an appropriate amount of old soy sauce and soy sauce, stir-fry until colored, then pour in two bottles of beer, boil until it opens, then pour in the green peppers, turn the heat to medium heat and simmer for half an hour. Finally, turn the heat up to evaporate the juice, taste the flavor, if you feel it's light, you can add some salt, sprinkle chicken essence, and stir-fry evenly before serving.
