Braised duck with tangerine peel and whole garlic
Duck slowly braised with whole garlic cloves and tangerine peel until rich and tender — the peel's fragrance cuts through the richness, and the sauce is wonderful over rice.
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves 3
- Braise
- Medium
Why it suits you: Qi-stagnant people easily feel low, bloated under the ribs and off their food, and Grain Rain's grey drizzle can drag the mood down further. Tangerine peel moves qi and supports digestion, garlic is pungent and appetising, and duck nourishes yin and drains water without heating — fragrant, appetising and good for easing pent-up tension.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 60 min- 1Blanch the duck for 3 minutes, rinse and pat dry. Heat a dry wok and cook the duck skin side down over low heat to render the fat, then pour most of it away.
- 2In the remaining duck fat, fry the ginger, garlic and tangerine peel until fragrant, return the duck, toss and splash in the Shaoxing wine.
- 3Add both soy sauces, the sugar and the water, bring to the boil, then cover and braise over low heat for 45 minutes, turning halfway.
- 4Uncover and reduce until the sauce is thick. Blanch the choi sum and serve it with the duck and rice.
Cautions
- Duck skin is fatty — if you're watching your cholesterol, skin it before braising.
Chef's tips
- Scrape the white pith off the tangerine peel so it isn't bitter. Braise the garlic until soft — mashed into the sauce over rice, it's the best part.
The TCM view
Duck is sweet, salty and slightly cool; it nourishes yin and the stomach and drains water. Tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, moving qi, strengthening the spleen and drying damp. Garlic is pungent and warm, moving qi and clearing food stagnation; ginger settles the middle. The warm, fragrant peel and garlic balance the duck's coolness — moving qi without drying.
