Peking Duck is such a popular dish in Asian culture that people sometimes overlook other dishes prepared with duck meat. Below are four alternative duck dishes people may want to try the next time they don’t know what to have for dinner.
Ginger Duck
Ginger duck is the primary ingredient in a soup that is especially popular in Taiwan. The soup contains strong rice wine and ginger flavors in addition to large chunks of duck meat still on the bone. Although no one knows its history for sure, legend has it that ginger duck originated in the Chinese province of Fujian.
Taiwanese cooks prepare ginger duck soup in a large clay pot and serve it communal style. Other ingredients that give the meat and broth their strong flavor include dry fruit, fresh herbs, and sesame oil. Ginger duck is a warm and comforting food during winter in Taiwan.
Tea Smoked Duck
The original purpose of smoking foods in China was to preserve them to eat in the future. The Chinese soon discovered that they enjoyed the taste of smoked food so much that chefs decided to refine the process and serve entire meals that had gone through the smoking process. Tea smoked duck is just one example.
Preparing tea smoked duck involves roasting a marinated duck over tea leaves and twigs that come from an evergreen tree known as Camphor. This tree is native to China and several other Asian nations. In addition to marinating the duck meat, chefs also roast, smoke, and fry it. It is rare for people to prepare tea smoked duck at home since it can be complex to make. The most common places to find it are Sichuan restaurants and banquets.
Chao Vit
As a traditional Vietnamese dish, chao vit contains rice porridge with steamed or cooked duck meat pieces. These are the primary ingredients. Others include:
- Black pepper
- Broken rice
- Carrots
- Coriander
- Fish sauce
- Ginger
- Green onions
- Shallots
Some street vendors in Vietnam serve chao vit with coagulated blood chunks but this is not common. Like ginger duck, chao vit is most popular in the winter. Items accompanying this meal often include rice crackers topped with sesame seeds, dipping sauce for the crackers, and banh trang.
Duck Bulgogi
This national dish from Korea is well-known for its savory, sweet, and garlic flavors. Although duck is a popular meat to use when preparing bulgogi, the recipe also works well with beef, venison, and several other types of skinless red meat. Here are the primary ingredients for duck bulgogi:
- Several large chunks of duck meat
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- White and green chopped onions
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh chopped ginger
- Sugar
- Cooked white rice and kimchi
- Optional black sesame seeds
The chef combines all ingredients except the duck meat into a blender and allows them to marinate for up to 24 hours. When it’s time to serve dinner, the duck meat should sit next to kimchi and rice on a plate. Sprinkling the duck meat with marinade sauce before serving adds even more flavor.
The good news for anyone looking for new duck dishes is that dozens of additional possibilities exist for those willing to do the research.
