Name: Soy-roast duck with mandarin
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 2 - 4
Ingredients: 2½ tbsp vegetable oil; 1 duck (about 2.2kg); 125 ml Shaoxing wine (½ cup); 60 ml Chinkiang vinegar (¼ cup); 1 tbsp rock sugar (see note) or caster sugar; 50 gm ginger, thickly sliced; 1 garlic head, halved; 1 mandarin, unpeeled, halved; 4 star anise; 4 cloves; 4 white peppercorns; 2 cinnamon quills; 1 long red chilli, halved; 140 ml soy sauce; 1 tsp honey, mixed with 1 tsp warm water; 2 bunches broccolini, trimmed and halved; Thinly sliced spring onion and steamed jasmine rice (optional), to serve; Mandarin sauce; 200 gm brown sugar; 125 ml mandarin juice (½ cup); 60 ml soy sauce (¼ cup); 2 star anise; 2 cinnamon quills; 1 long red chilli, halved lengthways; 3 mandarins, such as Imperial or Hickson, peeled and thickly sliced crossways; 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar; Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

Duck and orange may be the classic pairing, but this glossy twice-cooked duck finds another ideal match in a sweet and sour mandarin sauce.

Ingredients

2½ tbsp vegetable oil

1 duck (about 2.2kg)

125 ml Shaoxing wine (½ cup)

60 ml Chinkiang vinegar (¼ cup)

1 tbsp rock sugar (see note) or caster sugar

50 gm ginger, thickly sliced

1 garlic head, halved

1 mandarin, unpeeled, halved

4 star anise

4 cloves

4 white peppercorns

2 cinnamon quills

1 long red chilli, halved

140 ml soy sauce

1 tsp honey, mixed with 1 tsp warm water

2 bunches broccolini, trimmed and halved

Thinly sliced spring onion and steamed jasmine rice (optional), to serve

Mandarin sauce

200 gm brown sugar

125 ml mandarin juice (½ cup)

60 ml soy sauce (¼ cup)

2 star anise

2 cinnamon quills

1 long red chilli, halved lengthways

3 mandarins, such as Imperial or Hickson, peeled and thickly sliced crossways

2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

Method

Main

1.Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or large deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add duck breast-side down and cook, turning, until golden brown all over (5-6 minutes). Tip excess fat from pan, then add wine, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, mandarin, spices, chilli, 125ml soy and 750ml water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, turning every 15 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a skewer (1-1¼ hours).

2.Preheat oven to 240C. Remove duck from wok and place breast-side up on an oiled rack in a roasting tin. Brush with honey mixture and roast until dark golden and crisp (10-12 minutes). Rest for 15 minutes, then joint and cut into pieces.

3.Meanwhile, spread broccolini on a baking tray. Drizzle with remaining oil and soy sauce, season to taste, and roast until tender and a little charred on the tips (10-12 minutes).

4.For mandarin sauce, stir sugar, mandarin juice and 100ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook until a syrup forms (7-8 minutes). Add soy, spices and chilli, simmer to infuse (2-3 minutes), then add mandarin slices, vinegar and lemon juice.

5.Arrange duck on a platter with broccolini, spoon mandarin sauce over, scatter with spring onion and serve with steamed rice.