Teochew Soy Sauce Braised Duck Legs

– LOR ARK –

SINGAPORE

My grandmother would often braise a duck on special occasions. A whole duck can feed the whole family quite happily, and the dish can be prepared a day ahead. In fact, as with most braises, the dish gets infinitely better with a fair amount of resting time. The duck properly absorbs the flavours of the braising sauce and its skin turns beautifully dark and glossy. Every family has a different recipe, but the mix of typically Chinese spices with Southeast Asian aromatics like galangal is what makes this dish quite uniquely Singaporean. A whole duck is usually used, but as frying and flipping a 2–3kg bird is quite a daunting task, you will make your life a whole lot easier by using duck legs.

Serves 4

• 4 duck legs (1kg)
• 2 tablespoons kecap manis (or, to substitute, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and 1 tablespoon molasses)
• 2 tablespoons five-spice powder
• 2 tablespoons groundnut oil
• 100g galangal, sliced
• 50g ginger, sliced
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 stick of cassia bark
• 4 cloves
• 4 star anise
• 3–5 tablespoons unrefined light brown sugar
• 250ml dark soy sauce

To serve

• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• 200g firm tofu, cut into large cubes
• 1 cucumber, finely sliced
• a handful of fresh coriander

1. Rub the duck legs with the kecap manis and five-spice powder and leave to marinate for at least an hour.
2. Put the groundnut oil into a hot wok, and when the oil is hot, add the galangal, ginger, garlic, cassia bark, cloves and star anise. Stir-fry over a medium heat until fragrant, then stir in the sugar, frying until it melts and caramelizes.
3. Add the marinated duck legs, skin side down, and fry until the skin turns golden brown.
4. Pour in the soy sauce and enough water to submerge the duck legs. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
5. Turn off the heat and add the hard-boiled eggs and/or firm tofu cubes to the pot. Leave covered, for 4 hours or even overnight. This will really make sure the duck legs, eggs and tofu are infused with the flavour of the braising stock. Don’t worry, the soy sauce and sugar will keep the meat from spoiling.
6. Bring everything back up to the boil when you are ready to serve. Serve with fresh sliced cucumbers and garnish with coriander leaves, spooning the sauce generously over plain steamed rice.

Note: You can reuse any leftover braising stock for future braises. The sauce grows increasingly rich in flavour with each braise. This master stock is, in fact, the secret to the most delicious braises from famous hawkers. Freeze if you aren’t planning on using it within a few days.