Red Cooked Duck With Pressed Bean Curd Recipes

CHINESE VEGETARIAN DUCK (素鸭)

Steps:

• Rinse the shiitake mushrooms clean, and soak them in 2 cups of hot water for 2-3 hours, until they are completely rehydrated. Reserve the water they soaked in.
• Julienne the bamboo shoots, carrots, and ginger, and set aside. Once the shitake mushrooms are done soaking, squeeze out any excess water, remove the tough stems, and thinly slice them.
• With your wok over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons oil. Add the ginger, and cook for 20 seconds. Add the carrots, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots, turn up the heat, and and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.
• Stir in the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and vegetarian oyster sauce. Continue cooking until all the liquid has reduced. Remove from the wok, and let the filling cool.
• Prepare your steamer with enough water for 12 minutes of steaming over high heat, and bring to a boil.
• Lay out one of your sheets of bean curd on a clean work surface. Take your mixture of vegetarian oyster sauce and water, and brush lightly onto one of the sheets. Stack another sheet on top and brush that one too with the oyster sauce mixture.
• Add half of the filling to the lower part of the bean curd circle (about 5 inches/13 cm) from the edge closest to you), arranging it in a roughly 7x3 inch horizontal rectangle. Fold the sheet over the filling tightly. Fold the sides over the middle, and continue rolling tightly until you've formed a rectangular roll. Repeat with another 2 sheets of bean curd skin and the other half of the filling.
• With the opening side down, lay them side by side on a heat proof dish. When the water in your steamer has come to a boil, steam the rolls for 12 minutes over high heat.
• Meanwhile, mix the braising sauce. Combine 1 ¼ cups of the mushroom soaking water, 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce. Mix until sugar is completely dissolved, and set aside.
• Remove the rolls from the steamer. Heat a clean wok/pan over medium heat. When the wok is heated, add the oil, and swirl it around the perimeter of the wok to coat it evenly.
• Add the rolls, and brown each side, about 1-2 minutes per side. Handle gently when flipping.
• Once both sides are browned, add the sauce mixture. Braise over medium heat, cooking for 2 minutes covered, and then 2-3 minutes uncovered. Flip the rolls, and do the same on the other side. Try not to move them too much. Just slide them around to prevent them from breaking or fall apart.
• Once the sauce has reduced (it should coat the rolls, but they shouldn't be sitting in a pool of sauce), carefully transfer the rolls to a plate, and cool completely.
• Once cooled, slice into ¾ inch thick slices, and garnish with chopped scallions. Serve at room temperature.

SATSUMA CURD

Steps:

• In a small, heavy-bottomed pot off the stovetop, combine the sugar, cornstarch, Satsuma zest and juice, salt and egg yolks. Whisk together very well until the cornstarch is fully dissolved in the mixture and no lumps remain. Turn the heat to medium and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture reaches a simmer and begins to thicken, 4 to 5 minutes. Cook another 1 minute, still whisking, then turn off the heat and whisk in the butter until it melts.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, then cover and refrigerate until cooled and set, at least an hour. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 2 months. Spoon the curd over yogurt or oatmeal, or spread over toast or pound cake.

ROASTED DUCK IN FERMENTED BEAN CURD: VIT NUONG CHAO

Steps:

• For the marinade: Combine the white bean curd, sugar, red fermented bean curd, ginger, bean curd water, and oil and mix well. Coat the duck with marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Heat a charcoal grill to medium heat. Roast and rotate the duck over charcoal for 20 minutes.

BEAN CURD DENGAKU WITH MISO TOPPINGS

Steps:

• Make white and red miso toppings: Put 3/4 cup white miso in top of a double boiler; put 3 tablespoon white miso and red miso in top of a separate double boiler. Add half of yolks, sake, mirin and sugar to each and blend well. Place both tops over simmering water and gradually blend half of dashi into each miso mixture, stirring until thick. Add choice of one of the fragrant seasonings to each topping. Cool toppings to room temperature.
• Wrap tofu cakes in towels, weight with a dinner plate and let stand 1 hour to press out water. Prepare a charcoal fire, or alternatively heat a stovetop grill or broiler. Cut cakes into 3/8 by 3/4 by 2-inch pieces. Cut green pepper into same size strips. Skewer each piece of tofu on double-pronged "pine needle" skewers, or use 2 bamboo skewers. Skewer green pepper the same way. Grill tofu and pepper skewers for 3 minutes per side.
• Spread one side of green pepper with white miso topping and sprinkle with choice of garnish. Spread tofu with red miso topping and sprinkle with choice of garnish. Return skewers to grill, miso-topped side down, and grill for 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through. Skewers can also be made with choice of other vegetables, meat or fish, such as eggplant, large mushrooms,

MOCK DUCK

Steps:

• Rinse the dried shiitake and wood ear mushrooms with cold water to remove any sand or dirt. Transfer each type of mushroom into its own separate bowl and add enough water to just cover, about 3/4 cup in each. Let set until the mushrooms are pliable and soft, about 45 minutes.
• Trim the ends of the shiitakes with scissors. Squeeze out extra liquid and reserve for later use. Thinly slice the shiitakes. Trim the hard parts off the ends of the wood ears, then thinly slice the mushrooms. Discard the wood ear liquid. Transfer both mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in an extra-large nonstick skillet (see Cook's Note) over high heat. Once shimmering, add the carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until just softened, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and stir until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of the oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of the ground white pepper and 1 tablespoon water; stir until everything is coated. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes. Wipe the skillet clean and reserve.
• Meanwhile, lightly wet a paper towel with water and keep it on the side. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the reserved shiitake soaking liquid to a small bowl. Reserve the rest for later use.
• Remove the bean curd skins from the package and work quickly with them so they do not dry out and crack or lose flexibility. Fold the skins in quarters and trim off about 1 inch from the rim using scissors; the rim is very dry and will not give a smooth texture to the finished dish.
• Gently wipe both sides of 2 bean curd skins with the prepared paper towel and stack them directly on top of each other. If there are rips in either skin, don't worry; when you stack them, rotate the skins so the rips are not on top of each other. Cut one of the remaining skins in half, then cut one of the halves into quarters (reserve the remaining half for another use). Wipe both sides of one of the quarter skins and lay it on top of the stack in one quadrant. Put half of the vegetable filling, about 2 cups, directly on the quarter skin. Form the filling into a roughly 3.5-inch rectangle. Fold the right side of the large skins towards the center, then the left side and finally the bottom. Dip your fingers into the small bowl of reserved shiitake soaking liquid and brush all the sides. This will act as "glue" and help the bean curd stick better. Fold it as if you were rolling a burrito, tucking it tightly and rolling until you have formed a 10-inch-long by 4-inch-wide rectangle. Brush the seam with additional shiitake soaking liquid to seal well. Repeat with the remaining bean curd skins and filling.
• Heat the reserved skillet with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the rolls side by side. Fry until golden brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and fry until golden brown again on the bottom, an additional 1 minute. Gently fry the sides, about 15 seconds each. Remove to a plate. Let cool slightly. Pour out excess oil and wipe the skillet clean.
• Add 1 cup water, 1/2 cup of the reserved shiitake mushroom soaking liquid (if there isn't enough, replace with water to make up the difference), a pinch of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper to the same skillet over high heat and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the bean curd rolls to the mixture. Poke holes all over the rolls with a toothpick. Soak one side for 15 minutes, then flip and let the other side soak for an additional 15 minutes.
• Fill a large wok or wide pot with 2 inches of water and a steamer rack. Bring to a full boil over high heat. Place one of the soaked bean curd rolls into a dish or plate and let steam until the roll is slightly puffed, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the dish from the steamer and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining roll. Once cooled, place the bean curd rolls with a long side facing you and slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces using a sharp chef's knife with a long blade.
• Bring the soaking liquid back to a full boil and reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Drizzle on the sliced bean curd rolls. Enjoy!

BLOOD ORANGE CURD

Steps:

• Rub together the grated zest of 1/2 orange and 1/4 cup sugar with your fingertips; set aside.
• Bring 1 3/4 cups blood orange juice and 1/4 cup lemon juice to a boil in a saucepan. In a large bowl, whisk 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch and a pinch of salt; whisk in 6 egg yolks and the zest mixture. Slowly whisk in the hot juice, then return to the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; gradually whisk in 6 tablespoons cut-up butter.
• Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve and tint with red food coloring. Before using, chill until set, at least 4 hours.

RED-COOKED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut away and discard the peripheral fat and skin from the duck. That is to say, the fat from the cavity, the excess skin around the neck and cavity opening and so on.
• Brush the duck all over with one tablespoon of the dark soy sauce. Place on a rack, breast side up, and roast for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine in a kettle the remaining dark soy sauce, the light soy sauce, cold water, shaoxing or dry Sherry, rock sugar, ginger, scallions, star anise and tangerine or orange peel. Set aside.
• Remove the duck from the roasting pan and add it, breast side down, to the sauce. Bring the sauce to the boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• Turn the duck in the sauce. Cover and return to the boil. Let simmer 30 minutes. The duck may be eaten at this point, hot or cold. If you are using it to make the many-flavor duck salad, see the recipe.