How do you cook dried, preserved duck?

[eugenep]

Hello, I tried googling this and couldn't find anything on the web. I'm hoping someone might be able to answer. 

 

I saw some dried, preserved duck in Chinatown (NYC). 

 

Do you cook it the same way you cook "dried wind sausages" - i.e., by steaming it (either in a steamer or with the rice as the rice cooks)? 

 

Do you have any recipes? How do you use it generally? 

 

Any website links or book recommendations would be helpful too. 

 

thank you 

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

Yes, steam the meat then use it as you prefer. 

 

I first came across it when I lived in Hunan. There, people would fry the steamed meat with both green and red chillies and scallions. 25 years later, I still do the same.

 

One favourite restaurant used the meat in a dry hotpot with potato and spices.

 

It's an area of Chinese cuusine that hasnt been covered in English language books. Very little in Chinese, either.

 

The internet has info but in Chinese. search Google for 鸭肉干.

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[weinoo]

14 hours ago, eugenep said:

I saw some dried, preserved duck in Chinatown (NYC). 

 

Nice crowd - there's a shop on Hester St. between Eldridge and Forsyth - I think all the products they sell (and there are a lot of different sausages, birds, etc.) are preserved.

 

I've bought some of the various sausages and cook them the same way; steaming it with or on top of rice.

 

 

[eugenep]

ok - thanks for the info. I think I'm going to pick up a preserved duck today to try it. 

 

I think stir-frying it with some greens sounds delicious.  I wonder if I could skip the steaming part and just stir fry (or would the meat be too tough)? 

 

I was planning to pick up dry preserved squid and scallops too. Some books said the dry preserved squid requires soaking in baking soda and then another long soak in water for a total of 18 hours of soaking or something. 

 

I was planning to throw the re-hydrated squid and dry scallops (along with fresh shrimp) to make seafood congee. 

 

For dried shrimp, there's this gross seafood (bad) smell. So one author soaks dried shrimp in wine and throws out the wine (to get rid of the stinky dried shrimp smell). I wonder if I have to do with same with dried scallops? 

 

This is just a thought but I wonder I could just soak the duck in water 24 hours and then chop it up and stir fry it? This would skip the extra laborious step of steaming it. 

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, eugenep said:

ok - thanks for the info. I think I'm going to pick up a preserved duck today to try it. 

 

I think stir-frying it with some greens sounds delicious.  I wonder if I could skip the steaming part and just stir fry (or would the meat be too tough)? 

 

Yes. Inedible.

 

 

7 minutes ago, eugenep said:

I was planning to pick up dry preserved squid and scallops too. Some books said the dry preserved squid requires soaking in baking soda and then another long soak in water for a total of 18 hours of soaking or something. I was planning to throw the re-hydrated squid and dry scallops (along with fresh shrimp) to make seafood congee. 

 

The shrimp will be cooked long before the dried elements. Never heard of using soda; just soak until soft.

 

 

15 minutes ago, eugenep said:

For dried shrimp, there's this gross seafood (bad) smell. So one author soaks dried shrimp in wine and throws out the wine (to get rid of the stinky dried shrimp smell). I wonder if I have to do with same with dried scallops? 

 

The dried shrimp smell (which isn't that bad) disappears when they are cooked.  Total waste of wine.

 

13 minutes ago, eugenep said:

This is just a thought but I wonder I could just soak the duck in water 24 hours and then chop it up and stir fry it? This would skip the extra laborious step of steaming it. 

 

Steaming the duck doesn't only rehydrate it; it is also partially cooking it. Soaking it only does the first. I wouldn't.

 

[Duvel]

6 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Never heard of using soda; just soak until soft.

It‘s a common technique for rehydrating dried meats. The alkaline medium increases water absorption.

[liuzhou]

10 minutes ago, Duvel said:

It‘s a common technique for rehydrating dried meats. The alkaline medium increases water absorption.

 

i know but its not common here.

[Duvel]

19 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

i know but its not common here.

Just because it is not common in Liuzhou, Guangxi or China doesn’t make it any less of an employable technique. It isn’t used traditionally in Germany either, yet I used it …

[liuzhou]

8 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Just because it is not common in Liuzhou, Guangxi or China doesn’t make it any less of an employable technique. It isn’t used traditionally in Germany either, yet I used it …

 

I was answering how people rehydrate dried duck here. Yes, its employable but few people, if any, use it.

Edited December 1, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

7 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

The dried shrimp smell (which isn't that bad) disappears when they are cooked. 

 

This may be a bit of a generalization.   In my experience in many Chinese shops, the dried shrimp smell is very strong, and the flavor very strong in shrimp rice noodle rolls.  Like many foods, an acquired taste.  

[Duvel]

 

12 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

I was answering how people dehydrate dried duck here. Yes, its emplyable but few people, if any, use it.

And yet - he was talking about dried squid and baking soda. And yes, it is common (except in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China) 🤗

[liuzhou]

He was asking if it could be used with dried duck. I pointed out that I'd never heard of that being done. Thats all.

[Duvel]

 

8 hours ago, eugenep said:

I was planning to pick up dry preserved squid and scallops too. Some books said the dry preserved squid requires soaking in baking soda and then another long soak in water for a total of 18 hours of soaking or something. 

 

I was planning to throw the re-hydrated squid and dry scallops (along with fresh shrimp) to make seafood congee. 

Really … seafood congee with duck 😜 ?!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

12 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

He was asking if it could be used with dried duck. I pointed out that I'd never heard of that being done. Thats all.

Eugene threw us some curves.    This thread needs to be read carefully so as not to confuse products.

[eugenep]

On 12/1/2022 at 4:51 PM, Duvel said:

 

Really … seafood congee with duck 😜 ?!

It makes for a good combo - j/k 

 

But I mean the duck will be separate from the squid/scallop congee. 

 

I think I'm going to braise a duck leg in a little water (to rehydrate and cook) for a few minutes and then sauté it with green beans. 

 

The duck is wayy fattier than I thought so I'm going to treat it like bacon and use it to fry vegetables with. Hope things work out and it tastes good. 

[Duvel]

7 hours ago, eugenep said:

But I mean the duck will be separate from the squid/scallop congee. 

I got that, no worries 🤗

 

This was meant as a tongue-in-cheek comment at anyone who might have not …

[eugenep]

Hey. I used ChatGPT A.I. for this question and it seemed to give a good answer: 

 

Me: how do I cook dried preserved Chinese duck legs?

 

ChatGPT: Dried preserved Chinese duck legs, also known as "shā yā zhǎng" in Mandarin, are a popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine that can be used to make a flavorful and savory dish. Here's a simple recipe to get you started:

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 dried preserved Chinese duck legs
• 2 cups of water
• 1 piece of ginger, sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2 cups of boiling water

Instructions:

1. Soak the dried preserved duck legs in cold water for at least 2 hours to rehydrate them.

2. In a large saucepan or wok, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and green onions and stir-fry until fragrant.

3. Add the duck legs to the pan and stir-fry for a few minutes until they are browned on both sides.

4. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, and sugar to the pan and stir to combine.

5. Pour 2 cups of boiling water into the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer the duck legs for 1 hour or until they are tender and the sauce has thickened.

7. Serve the duck legs with steamed rice and vegetables.

This recipe should result in tender and flavorful duck legs that are infused with the rich and savory flavors of ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Enjoy!

[liuzhou]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:30 AM, eugenep said:

Dried preserved Chinese duck legs, also known as "shā yā zhǎng" in Mandarin

 

Except they aren't.

Without seeing the Chinese character, I have no idea what the 'shā' part is referring to. My largest dictionary lists 14 different characters for 'shā', none of which seem relevant. The most common meanings are 砂 'sand', 杀 'kill' and 沙 'hoarse'. 

 

Also for 'yā zhǎng', the only possible match is 鸭掌 (yā zhǎng), which is 'duck feet' and not 'duck legs'.

 

The most common term for these preserved duck legs is 腊鸭腿 (là yā tuǐ).

 

I would also say the recipe provided is very basic and uninspiring.

Edited February 13, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[eugenep]

7 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Except they aren't.

 

I have no idea what the 'shā' part is referring to. My largest dictionary lists 14 different characters for 'shā', none of which seem relevant. The most common meanings are 砂 'sand', 杀 'kill' and 沙 'hoarse'. 

 

Also for 'yā zhǎng', the only possible match is 鸭掌 (yā zhǎng), which is 'duck feet' and not 'duck legs'.

 

The most common term for these preserved duck legs is 腊鸭腿 (là yā tuǐ).

 

I would also say the recipe provided is very basic and uninspiring.

I tried using the dried duck legs by steaming on top of sticky/glutinous rice and it didn't taste good. 

 

Like.. there was this gamey aroma (not strong and only subtle but still there on the nose) and the fat from the leg and sticky texture of the rice wasn't a good combo (like not well balanced). 

 

I think braising it with ginger etc. will take out the gamey aroma and it sounds like a good way to rehrdrate and cook and the same time. 

 

I think I'm going to dry the ChatGPT recipe just because I can't find anything else on the web. A lot of the stuff I'm getting is just steam it with white rice and eat.