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Mom’s Best Braised Duck Leg

Mom’s Best Braised Duck Leg

Mom’s best braised duck leg is a traditional family cooked dish. The moist and tender duck is cooked in a rich, savory broth with fresh herbs. It’s comforting and soothing. Packed with high quality protein and low in calories, the braised duck is perfect as a main dish for dinner.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 12
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

  • 2 kilograms (4.5 pounds) duck legs with thigh
  • 30 grams (1.4 ounces) scallions , chopped
  • 20 grams (3/4 ounces) ginger , sliced
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
  • 4 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Separate the thigh from the drumsticks. Continue chopping each into 4 to 5 parts.(*see footnote)
  • In a large pot, add duck and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Turn to medium heat and boil for 3 minutes. During boiling, use a ladle to skim any foam from the surface, and discard it. Transfer the duck legs to a large colander and drain them. Discard boiling water.
  • Bring 4 cups water to a boil and set aside.
  • Heat a wok (or a large dutch oven) over medium high heat until hot. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of wok. Turn to low heat. Add Sichuan peppercorn and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Use a ladle to scoop out peppercorns and discard them. Add scallion and ginger and stir a few times until fragrant. Turn back to medium high heat. Carefully add duck legs back into the wok and stir immediately. Stir until duck is slightly browned on the outside, about 5 minutes.
  • Add boiled water to cover the duck legs. Add shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar. After bringing to a boil, turn to low heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add salt and stir well. If the broth has reduced and no longer covers the duck, add more boiling water (about 1 cup). Simmer for another 30 minutes, covered. During simmering, check on the duck every 15 minutes. Use a spatula to scoop the duck from bottom to prevent burning. Add more water if needed.
  • The duck should turn very soft after 1 hour. The broth should be reduced to a thick sauce, just enough to coat the duck. If the sauce is still too thin, turn to medium heat and boil uncovered to thicken the sauce. Stir the duck constantly during the process.
  • Serve the duck leg warm over steamed rice or noodles. You can store duck leg in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

  1. Smaller pieces of duck leg are easier to stir fry. If you don’t feel like chopping the duck, you could simply separate the thigh and drumstick by cutting the joints, or buy duck drumsticks directly.

Nutrition

Serving: 182g, Calories: 324kcal, Carbohydrates: 2.9g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 11.2g, Saturated Fat: 2.4g, Cholesterol: 175mg, Sodium: 504mg, Potassium: 45mg, Sugar: 1.2g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 24mg