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- JrGhoull, on 10/11/2007, -17/+204it looks delicious.
- ablez3, on 10/11/2007, -3/+93TASTE THE RAINBOW!
- airwalkery2k, on 10/11/2007, -2/+83That duck probably got into a fight with an angry impressionist painter.
- barkingfrog, on 10/11/2007, -3/+58It's a good thing that it says (pic) in the title, because this would have been a very boring story. "The duck has red, orange, purple, a little blue."
- flaterates, on 10/11/2007, -7/+51 Step 1: Prepping The Duck
1 cup peanut oil
1 long island duck, 3-4 lb. average
4 Tbsp. double-dark soy sauce
First, heat the peanut oil to medium-hot in a heavy skillet. In the meantime, dry the duck with several layers of paper towels then brush it liberally with the double-dark soy sauce, being sure to paint it all over. Then when it’s fully brushed, drop the duck into the skillet and fry it on both sides until it turns a dark golden brown.
Step 2: Poaching The Duck
While the duck is frying, bring to a boil a pot of water deep enough to completely submerge the duck. Then into it add a bouquet garni made of:
1 tsp. fennel seed
4 whole star anise
6 whole cloves
½ tangerine peel (dried)
2 oz. sliced ginger root
4 green onions, tied in knots
After the stock has simmered for about 20 minutes to release the essences from the bouquet, take the fried duck and place it into the stockpot. At this point the temperature is lowered and the duck is poached for exactly 1 hour. This causes the thick fat layer in the duck to dissolve and be extracted from under the skin.
When the allotted cooking time is done, remove the duck from the stockpot, drain it well, and allow it to cool. Then cut it in half and remove the rib bones, back bones, neck bones, and thigh bones (but leave the drumstick and wing bones on for presentation). Immediately. . .
Sprinkle the duck halves with salt and white pepper.
Then sprinkle the duck halves evenly with cornstarch.
Then sprinkle the cornstarch with cold water.
Then top everything off with a sprinkling of all purpose flour.
Then place both duck halves on an oval platter and set the platter down on a trivet inside the stockpot you poached the duck in originally. With the flame set to medium, steam the duck halves for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Crisping The Duck
As soon as they come out of the steamer pot, transfer the duck halves to a preheated 375 degree oven (preferably a convection oven). In about 15-20 minutes, the oven heat will cause the water from the steaming process to evaporate from the duck meat, consequently crisping up the skin in the process. This is probably the most critical part of the entire recipe, because a miscalculation here could completely dry out the duck and make it stringy instead of crispy and juicy. So it is important to watch the halves carefully while they’re in the oven.
Step 4: Making the Mandarin Sauce
While the halves are "crisping," take about a half cup of the oil from the skillet you originally browned the duck in and pour it into a wok. Then over high heat, fry down until richly browned . . .
1 small onion, diced
2 ribs of celery, coarsely chopped
¾ head of crushed garlic (peels and all)
When all the veggies have caramelized (which intensely flavors the oil and which should take about 5 minutes or so), spoon into the wok about 3 or 4 tablespoons of all purpose flour and cook them into the oil to make a roux. Then carefully ladle into the roux about a cup or two of the poaching stock to make a gravy. This is where the intensity of the flavors is created—the stock is ultra-rich in duck flavor and the roux is ultra-rich in caramelized onions and garlic.
Finally, when you’re ready to serve the dish, remove the duck from the oven, cut it into julienned strips, and place it on a platter. Then finish the Mandarin sauce by stirring into the gravy a tablespoon of double-dark soy sauce for color, a tablespoon of light soy sauce for taste, and a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken it. Generously ladled over the julienned duck, topped with thinly sliced green onions and served alongside a mold of steamed white rice, the sauce completes the gourmet presentation.
We know it’s a lot of work, but very few other dishes even come close to tasting this great!
Chef's Notes:
1. To make and use a bouquet garni, simply tie up the herbs you select in a piece of cheesecloth and simmer them in water for at least 20 minutes.
2. When you steam the duck halves, rest them on top of strips of green onions or carrot slices so that the steam can circulate under the meat. Otherwise, the duck will not cook consistently.
3. Be careful when adding the poaching stock to the hot roux. It this is done carelessly, the oil with splatter like napalm and could cause severe burns.!
Sorry P.I.T.A. - d4nie1, on 10/11/2007, -3/+44That's amazing looking. I've never seen a duck with so many colors.
- xerus, on 10/11/2007, -4/+41Quick, someone make a web 2.0 color palette out of it!
- XxModestMousexX, on 10/11/2007, -0/+31THe poor females.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Female_Mandarin_Duck_800.jpg - dr0psy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+30its head looks like a tropical fish
..also i wonder if it tastes like skittles - PhantomBantam, on 10/11/2007, -8/+29Looks a little light in the webbing, if you know what I mean.
- wildfire, on 10/11/2007, -3/+20Or a whore with her whore makeup -- filthy whore.
- tizz66, on 10/11/2007, -0/+13Could you confirm whether the duck should be dead first? I followed your recipe, but the duck jumped out of the pan when I put it in, in step 1.
- xerus, on 10/11/2007, -2/+14Christ, Nature really turned up the digital vibrance on that little guy.
- n0va, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13It already did. In several different ways, I must add.
But the real question is will you? - arcangelgabriel, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Stunningly beautiful animal.
- aaeyers, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8...only in Soviet Russia.
- asnider, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7Man, after reading about the ***** gang rape story earlier today, this picture makes me happy again.
- tripston, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6I'm amazed a picture of natural beauty has made it to the front page of Digg! Not just a bunch of diggital geeks out there..
- rideroyals, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6dugg for not having anything to do with iphone or engadget links.
this is actually something that is amazing! - unloud, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Me either. I'm colorblind, you insensitive cad! :-(
- Sabretou, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6Never sell a duck to an angry photoshopper.
- saladtossser, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4http://www.flickr.com/photos/linny/332167100/in/set-72057594095281649/
- jcaino, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5right! - is it such a wonder that something so beautiful tastes so good?
- jn1167, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4That is some sharp looking bird.
- psygnisfive, on 10/11/2007, -3/+7Peking Duck is incredibly tasty. If you live anywhere near a Chinatown, go there, find a genuine Chinese restaurant, and get Peking Duck.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4around $2.50 US?
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4"Its coming right for us!"
- CandySnatch, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I bet the colours were even more vibrant when seen in real life - Mother Nature rocks!
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3 The wood duck drake is another beauty:
http://arnica.csustan.edu/photos/animals/wood_duck.jpg - Coffeedemon, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4You could have just posted the link instead of whoring for diggs on an unneeded submission.
- rglover, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4And to think, Sherwin Williams almost covered up their industrial accident history...
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3Peking Duck is NOT Mandarin Duck!
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2"Mandarin Duck" - in Technicolor
/cue old-school orchestral cartoon music - resplence, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I don't think they stay paired up EVERY SECOND.
- snolan1990, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2i saw a whole pond full of them at a farm once it was a truly wonderful sight
- kahlessreborn, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I feel so bad eating one right now.
Atleast they taste as good as they look. - asdfasdf, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Every animal looks like this when you're on magic mushrooms.
- ireadnews, on 10/15/2007, -0/+1some links to mandarin fish info here:
http://actualurls.com/mandarin_fish - TheLD, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Why did the title have to be translated into American English? If it's a British article/story/pic/video surely it deserves to have the title left in the relevent spelling?
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1You're right -- I saw this picture back in 2005 and it looked much more vibrant. It's amazing how fast some pictures fade these days.
- psygnisfive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I never said it was. Tho I bet you could make some tasty Peking Duck out of a Mandarin Duck. :)
- peacecore, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1This is gorgeous,
- loganhid, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1so what?
- Gareth1992, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1are there any more pictures of it?
- arjung, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2I think he was talking about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)?
Atleast that's how I took it. - tontoropork, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Hey! Where's did its partner go? These ducks goes in pairs don't they?
- eddywolf, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Type mandarin duck in google. Oh and they eat these ducks in asia
- mandarin, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Ahem
- dev3, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2What? are we in the 1950's again, that we have to mention 'full colour'
/dugg none the less - bizchris, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Mandarin, huh? I wonder if it's so it would blend in with something like this:
http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/81/45/22974581.jpg
(I know about male colorings and also that evolution doesn't work that way, but it's the first camouflage explanation that came to mind given China's environmental troubles) -
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