中文菜谱：辣卤鸭脖

For the foodies who have culinary adventurous spirits, I recommend soy sauce braised duck necks as a meaty, healthy and very satisfying snack when watching Super Bowl on this coming Sunday. For those who think it is too bizarre, all I can say is that you have no idea what you are missing O(∩_∩)O~

A lot of Asian countries have long history of eating ducks. I mean like all parts of ducks. When food was scarce, nothing edible would go waste. At first, people eat duck necks because they couldn’t afford expensive meat. And now people are still eating it because of it is so tasty and flavorful.

Ingredients：

2 lbs duck necks (sold in Asian grocery stores)
3 to 4 tablespoons Pixian chili paste
a handful dried chili peppers
1/4 to 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 to 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons rice cooking wine
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
3 to 4 star anises
1 small piece cinnamon bark
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corns
3 to 4 pieces dried sand ginger
5 to 6 cloves
1 black cardamom pod
2 cloves of garlic
1 small piece of fresh ginger root, sliced
salt to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking
water
1 cup of *“old soy sauce” (opitonal)

(* old soy sauce is the remaining braised sauce that has been boiled, drained and preserved in freezer. Add old soy sauce to the broth can enrich its flavor, improve the braised meat texture and give everything a better taste. Think about the old dough used in the bakery. They pretty much work the same way. *)

Directions：

Gather all the needed spices in a small plate. Don’t they look pretty together?

Clean and rinse duck necks under running water. Trim any extra surrounding fat or tissues.

Blanch duck necks in boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Rinse them with hot water. Set aside.

Heat a cast iron wok over medium heat. Add vegetable oil along with all the spices.

Sautee for several minutes until you can smell intense aroma from the spices.

Add Pixian chili paste.

Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice cooking wine, sugar, and old soy sauce. Continue to sauté for a couple minutes.

Add water. Turn up the heat to high. When it comes to boil, add duck necks.

Wait for the broth to boil again. Cover with lid and reduce the heat to simmer for about 1 hour. Extend the simmering time if you prefer softer meat texture.

15 minutes before simmering time is up, do a quick sample taste. Add salt to taste.

When the hour is up, turn off the heat. For maximum flavor, leave the duck necks soaking in broth for another hour or so.