Braised duck with sour plums
An old-school Hong Kong summer dish: duck pieces braised in a sweet, sour and salty plum sauce until tender and glossy — wonderfully appetising on a hot evening.
- 1 hr 10 min
- Serves 3
- Braise
- Medium
Why it suits you: In the heat of Start of Summer, a Yin-deficient constitution is more prone to a dry mouth, restlessness and poor sleep. Duck is sweet and cool and nourishes yin, sour plums generate fluids, and pairing sour with sweet 'transforms into yin', as TCM puts it — appetising in summer without being heating, and a traditional Hong Kong summer favourite.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 55 min- 1Blanch the duck pieces for 3 minutes to remove blood and excess fat, then drain.
- 2Mix the mashed plums with the rock sugar and both soy sauces.
- 3Heat a little oil in a wok and fry the duck skin-side down over medium heat until golden and the fat runs. Pour off the excess fat, then add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant.
- 4Add the plum sauce and water, bring to the boil, then cover and braise over low heat for 45 minutes, turning once or twice. Uncover and reduce over high heat until thick and glossy.
Cautions
- Sour plums and soy sauce are both salty, so cut back on the soy if you have high blood pressure; duck skin is fatty, so remove it before braising if you prefer.
Chef's tips
- Render the duck skin-side down and pour off the fat before braising so the dish isn't greasy; plums vary in saltiness, so taste before reducing.
The TCM view
Duck is sweet, salty and slightly cool, nourishing yin and the stomach and easing water retention. Sour plums are sour and neutral, generating fluids and quenching thirst. Rock sugar is sweet and neutral, moistening the lungs and generating fluids, and the sour-sweet pairing 'transforms into yin', supporting yin. Ginger and garlic are pungent and warm, removing gaminess and warming the stomach. Nourishing without heaviness — suited to Yin deficiency.
