Duck Chop Suey

Ingredients

• 3.25 pounds (whole duck) Duck (A 3 to 3½ pound whole duck; bones removed and meat pounded. Ask your butcher to debone it for you if you are a beginner.)
• 1 tablespoon Duck fat (Trim this from the duck carcass before deboning. Chop it finely before frying.)
• 1.25 tablespoons Syou (soy sauce) (Syou is the historical spelling of soy sauce. Use standard light soy sauce. Note: the instructions use 1¼ tbsp total but direct 1½ tbsp when adding — follow the instruction quantities as written in each step.)
• 1 dash Cayenne pepper (Just a small pinch. Adjust to your heat preference.)
• 2 teaspoons Salt (Half a tablespoon (approximately 1½ teaspoons) is added with the duck; the remainder can be used to season to taste.)
• 1 cup Dried mushrooms (Any dried Asian mushroom works well, such as shiitake. They must be soaked in water for 10 minutes before use. Remove and discard all stalks.)
• 1 bunch Celery (Wash thoroughly and cut into small pieces.)
• 0.5 cup Small white onions (Pearl onions or small pickling onions work perfectly. Peel before using.)
• 12 seeds (one dozen) Lotus seeds (Available in Asian grocery stores, either dried or vacuum-packed. Slice very thinly.)
• 0.5 can Bamboo shoots (Use half a standard can of bamboo shoots. Drain and rinse before slicing.)
• 2 pounds Bean sprouts (Fresh mung bean sprouts are ideal. Rinse well before adding.)

Instructions

1. 1Rinse the whole duck thoroughly under cold running water, inside and out. Pat it completely dry with paper towels. Remove all bones — use a sharp knife to cut along the backbone and work the meat away from the carcass and all joints. Once deboned, place the duck meat on a cutting board and use a meat mallet or the back of a heavy knife to pound the meat firmly all over. This tenderises it and helps it cook evenly. Then cut the tenderised meat into small, bite-sized pieces roughly 1–2 cm across.
2. 2Finely chop 1 tablespoon of duck fat trimmed from the duck carcass. Place a large wok or heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped duck fat to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally, until it has rendered down and released its oil. This should take about 3–4 minutes.
3. 3Using a slotted spoon or spatula, carefully scoop out and discard the solid lumps of rendered duck fat, leaving only the clear, liquid duck oil in the pan. This clear oil is what you will use to fry the duck meat.
4. 4Add the prepared duck pieces to the pan with the clear duck oil over medium-high heat. Spread them out in a single layer as much as possible. Fry, turning occasionally, until the duck pieces are golden brown on all sides. This should take about 5–7 minutes. Do not crowd the pan — if needed, fry in two batches.
5. 5Add 1½ tablespoons of soy sauce (syou), a dash of cayenne pepper, and half a tablespoon of salt (approximately 1½ teaspoons) directly to the duck in the pan. Stir briefly to coat the meat. Place a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to low. Allow the duck to simmer gently for 20 minutes. While the duck is simmering, use this time to prepare the vegetables in the next step.
6. 6While the duck is simmering, place 1 cup of dried mushrooms in a bowl. Cover completely with cold water and leave to soak for 10 minutes until softened. Once soaked, drain them and use your fingers or a small knife to pull off and discard all of the stalks. Cut the mushroom caps into small pieces.
7. 7While the duck continues to simmer, wash and cut the whole bunch of celery into small pieces, roughly 1–2 cm long. Peel half a cup of small white onions, leaving them whole. Slice a dozen lotus seeds very thinly — use a sharp knife and take your time as they are small and firm. Drain and rinse half a can of bamboo shoots and slice them into thin strips or small pieces.
8. 8Once the duck has simmered for 20 minutes and the vegetables are all prepared, remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high. Add all of the prepared vegetables — the mushrooms, celery, white onions, lotus seeds, and bamboo shoots — to the pan with the duck. Stir everything together well and fry for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are cooked through and beginning to soften.
9. 9Add 2 pounds of rinsed bean sprouts to the pan. Stir them through the duck and vegetable mixture. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the bean sprouts are just tender but still have a slight crunch. Do not overcook them — they should remain lively and fresh-tasting.
10. 10Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the Duck Chop Suey into a large serving dish or individual bowls and serve immediately alongside steamed white rice.