Slow and Quick. Chinese Duck soup.

West or southwest 4 or 5 occasionally 6 at first, increasing 7 or gale 8 later, perhaps severe gale 9 later.

Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later.

Rain later.

Good, occasionally poor later.

Request number 2

This recipe is adapted from a Sainsbury magazine; dated December 2001, page 72 to 74. Since I lost page 72 in the last 13 years, I have no idea who contributed it. Or what the title was. At the end I will give a quicker version which I have done in the past (the recipe is a family favourite). Not saying that the quicker version is equally good, but good enough if you are really in a hurry and need soul food.

I replaced the chicken stock with Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian Non Chicken Base.

Despite the fact that I eat once every 6-8 weeks meat, I try to avoid unnecessary meat products if a Vegetarian alternative is equal/ better/ or slightly less good. Most Vegetarian versions fall into this category. This one is even better than a chicken stock, despite the fact that it does not taste of chicken (cant stand chicken anymore). Yes, it is blooming expensive in the UK, but worth every penny.

But feel free to use chicken stock if you have a good home made one, or any other Vegetarian alternative; and feel also free to substitute the duck with pressed firm tofu. Treat it exactly like the duck, but reduce the steaming period or it will disintegrate (or leave that steaming out).

Ideally you need to start the day before. Or even 2 days.

Chinese Duck Soup

1 duck breast, trimmed of any sinew

3 tablespoons (Kikkoman) teriyaki marinade

1 tablespoon honey

300ml stock (either Vegetarian, see above, or Chicken)

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 cm fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices

1 small birds eye chilli, only the tip until you come to the seeds if you don’t like it hot 

2 star anise

2 tablespoon of oil

30gr of flat rice noodles

1 large Chinese cabbage leave or leaves of a Cos lettuce, cut into thin slices and stalk discarded if they are big leaves, but you can leave small leaves whole

1 spring onion, cut into thin slices

some coriander leaves for garnish

soya sauce to taste

Mix the teriyaki marinade and the honey in a ziplock bag and add the duck breast. Close bag and massage the marinade into the duck (be careful if you use tofu, just give it a gentle stroke), then let it rest in the fridge, ideally overnight.

The next day take the duck out of the marinade; let the marinade drip down into the bag and steam the duck in a steamer insert for 15-20 minutes. Let it rest, don’t discard the water.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil into a pot and heat. Add garlic, chilli and ginger and let soften a bit. Add the water in which the duck has steamed, the stock and the 2 star anise. Cook down until you have about 250ml, reduce the heat to the slightest of simmer and add all of the duck marinate.

Shred the leave and the spring onions and put into a serving bowl.

Heat the other tablespoon of oil in a pan until very hot and fry the duck on both sides. Press down so the skin gets really crispy and sticky.

In the meantime cook the rice noodles in slightly salted water and drain once finishes (yes, you have at one point three pots on the go).

Let the duck rest for a minute, put soup on high so its really hot. Taste and adjust with soya sauce if necessary. Fill noodles into your bowl, top with the sliced duck breast, add the stock and sprinkle with coriander leaves.

Quick version:

Buy a ready cooked Peking (“pancake”) duck (Aldi has an excellent ready cooked half duck in the freezer but this of course needs defrosting), put into marinade for as long as possible (minimum 15 minutes). Make the soup as above, fry the duck as above, assemble your bowl but use one pack of ready cooked thin rice noodles (while I prefer for the slow version the flat noodles, this wont work here, they don’t heat quick enough).

Verdict:
Despite it being meat, it was exactly what I needed. Comfort food. Worked hard, back hurts like hell but I am down to 4 boxes. YEAH!