We’ve bought green tea, mochi, peanut oil, frozen dumplings and even some very cool tea cups from Shuin. Finally, yesterday, we got to try Shuin’s famous smoked duck. My husband had to pre-order it two days ahead and it just had to be picked up for last night’s dinner.
Smoked duck is not the same as the roast duckling I’ve cooked at home in the past. For one thing, the skin of the smoked duck wasn’t crisp and that’s the reason I decided not to serve the skin with Chinese pancakes. We just ate the duck with fried rice and that was it. My daughter Sam asked why I didn’t cook the duck myself which I take it to mean she preferred home-roasted duck. But, you know, I wanted to try Shuin’s smoked duck and it’s not like it was bad. It was good, actually, albeit a little bland. But smoked meat is smoked meat and there is a distinct flavor that I’d trade for the crisp skin anytime.
The real magic, however, was in the bones. After dinner, I took the bones and boiled them with leeks, garlic, onion and peppercorns. I let everything simmer for two hours and the result was a deep golden broth that is so rich and wonderful that I wanted to cook three different soups with it. My father used to smoke duck and he used tea leaves to do it. I don’t know if Shuin uses tea leaves too. If it does, some other barks and herbs must have been added because there was a distinct woody flavor in the broth.
I have cooked one soup dish using the duck broth — kalabasa and potato soup — and I’ll be doing two more very soon.
I like pretty much anything smoked but only in small quanitites. The taste is always very intense.
Looks good! Wish I’d learned about roasting duck before, when we were raising ducks for salted eggs. And we just stopped last month *sigh*…
Paula, yes, very intense. I guess that’s what makes it special.
Gay, you stopped? Oooohhh. Gosh if I were living in a duck farm, oh, the duck recipes I would have invented…:)
Almost all the Oriental grocery stores here in Houston sells roasted ducks along with ribs and chicken; and I used to buy a pound of the ducks (they chopped it for me), along with fried rice – guess what I always says not to put the sauce/broth on my rice (I guess its the drippings of the duck) – because it taste and smells like “insik”. Just like the lechon that they sell too, Pinoy here don’t go for it much if its not cooked Cebu lechon style, kasi nga raw iba ang lasa at amoy.
When you say about the skin being crispy, well it is, but not much, and the meat itself is gummy…for now, I lost my taste for it. Your daughter though gave me an idea, I wonder if I buy fresh duck and broiled it myself. Just like how I do with turkey. I think I wil do this for New Year. There is a Vietnamese farm here that sells fresh ducks.
Ebba, I’ve been roasting duck for New Year’s EVe for the past so many years. Since we moved here to the suburb, I think. You’d think the kids would have gotten tired of roast duck for New Year but that’s what they want again this year.
Thanks Connie, I would surely roat a duck for 2008. In this Vietnamese farm, they do sell fresh duck eggs weekly, and I always buy half a dozen. I really like it better than chicken,yolk is much redder.
Ebba, I love love love duck eggs too. My father used to buy itlog ng pato more often than chicken eggs when I was a kid. And duck eggs make the best leche flan.
Umm, thanks again Connie, yan ang gagawin ko in addition to the roasted duck, yippee, Leche Flan Ala Connie (since its my first time); I will use your recipe. God Bless to you and your wonderful family.
when i was studying culinary arts in europe i came across a duck recipe that i been using when i cook duck. its very simple but its the best best way to roast a duck. the duck is roasting for 4 hours in a very low heat and basted with honey every 30 minutes. When the duck is cooked it gives you the most tender meat. surprisingly, the duck is not as sweet as you may think. the salt and honey will give you this beautiful flavour.
Duck eggs for leche flans are always used by my mother as i grew up. But then again, its all our neighbors in Pampanga only used at that time. but that was a long time ago and am not sure if the new generation is using duck egg still. i still use them when i make leche flan.
do you have the tel no.of
shun?