Chinese-style Braised Duck
Whole duck legs are braised with orange, ginger, lemongrass, cilantro and garlic in this elegantly subtle dish adapted from The Lemonade Cookbook.
Servings 2
Ingredients
- 2 whole duck legs
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 large seedless navel orange, cut into large chunks (skin and all)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1- inch piece fresh ginger, halved lengthwise and smashed
- 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 4-inch sections, bulb smashed
- 5 to 6 sprigs cilantro
- 1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- additional orange slices (optional)
Instructions
- Season duck legs generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high flame. Brown duck legs skin side down for about 10 minutes. Turn and brown other side for about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate. If there's a lot of duck fat in your pan, pour most of it off (mine had virtually none—leave it to me to find a dieting duck).
- Add orange, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cilantro and peppercorns to pan. Pour in sesame oil and broth and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits. Return duck legs and any accumulated juices to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan and braise duck legs until tender, about 1 hour.
- Plate duck, along with additional orange slices, if desired, and serve. Discard braising liquid and solids.