Autumn Equinox · Lunch · Balanced
Braised duck with taro on rice
Tender duck and floury taro braised in a savoury ginger sauce — a lunchbox made the night before that reheats beautifully.
- 1 hr
- Serves 2
- Braise
- Easy
NeutralBalances yin & yangSupports digestion
Why it suits you: Balanced types do well following the Autumn Equinox principle of balancing yin and yang. Cool, moistening duck with neutral, spleen-strengthening taro, braised until tender, makes a filling lunch that is neither drying nor heavy.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min- 1Chop the duck legs, start them in cold water and boil for 3 minutes, then rinse. Peel the taro and cut into chunks.
- 2Heat a dry wok and fry the duck skin side down for 5 minutes to render the fat; pour off most of it.
- 3Fry the ginger, garlic and shallots until fragrant, add the taro, wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce and 300 ml water, cover and braise gently for 30 minutes until the taro is floury.
- 4Reduce the sauce and serve over rice. For a lunchbox, cook it the night before and microwave for 3 minutes.
Chef's tips
- Wear gloves to peel taro, as the sap can make your hands itch.
The TCM view
Duck is sweet, salty and slightly cool, nourishing yin and the stomach; taro is sweet, pungent and neutral and strengthens digestion; ginger and garlic are pungent and warm, offsetting the duck's coolness. Cool and warm in balance — right for the equinox.
