We’re two weeks from Chinese New Year, and we have a bunch of new year’s recipes to share with you over the coming days! Some of them are more of our family favorites, and others are requests that we received from readers. We’re starting with a bang––one of my favorite dishes, Chinese Sour Plum Duck.
Sour plum duck was a special meal my father used to make for us as kids. He first made it one year on Chinese New Year’s day, and from then on, we’d beg him to make it even if it wasn’t a holiday!
I’m speculating now (a disclaimer for Judy and the girls, because they always say I speculate too much), but this dish might just be how the term Chinese “duck sauce” came into existence. I mean, the bright orange duck sauce you get in packets from Chinese takeout restaurants are obviously devoid of duck, and the sauce can be served with everything from fried rice to egg rolls. This sweet and sour condiment does bear a striking resemblance to plum sauce, however, which is the star flavor agent in this traditional duck recipe. See the connection?
I was probably around 5 years old when my father made our first Sour Plum Duck (pronounced in Cantonese with a Hakka accent, “suan moi opp”). Like a good son, I followed my father everywhere and watched his every move, wanting to be just like him. Thanks to that father-son bonding, I not only remember how delicious that sour plum duck was, but also enough of the steps to write this rarely-seen recipe.
Childhood memories are a weird phenomenon–what and how you remember certain things at a young age are so random. All I know is that I do vividly remember my father rubbing the fresh duck with salt and spices and then making the plum sauce by taking squishy brown things out if a jar and squishing them in his hands to crush them. The pits squeezed out of his fingers, and he just left them in the sauce. The rest of the ingredients in this recipe was developed by taste and educated guessing.
I’m also pretty sure he used the oven, and while I don’t clearly remember the onions, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were there in his original “suan moi opp” sour plum duck recipe. When the caramelized onions are cooked with the duck, you get an unbelievable onion marmalade that would put any jarred duck sauce to shame.
So, to all of you folks who have memories of your favorite dishes, dig deep in those treasured memories and think hard, because sometimes it’s really worth it. And if you’re lucky enough to have elders in your family with recipes and/or stories to share, don’t wait! Pick their brains now and write them down even if they are not perfect!
Here’s this treasured sour plum duck recipe–just in time for Chinese New Year. Hope you enjoy it!
Sour Plum Duck: Recipe Instructions
Remove the giblet packet from the duck, rinse both the inside and outside of the duck thoroughly, and let the water drain out. You can discard the giblets or place them in the pot with the duck if you like. Pat the duck dry with a paper towel.
Combine the salt, white pepper, and ginger in a small bowl, and rub the spice mix evenly all over the duck, both outside and inside the cavity. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat 1½ tablespoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven (or other oven-safe pot with a lid) over medium-high heat. Sear the duck on both sides until lightly browned and transfer the duck to a plate.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the garlic, shallots, and onions to the pot where you seared the duck. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until softened.
Use your hands or a fork to smash the salted plums, and add them to the pot. The plums should be pitted, but it is also okay to just add the pits and pick them out before serving.
Also stir in the plum sauce, chicken stock, dried orange or tangerine peel, and rice vinegar. Mix well over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from the heat.
Spoon one cup of the onion mixture into the duck cavity, using a spoon to coat the inside of the duck as best as possible. Spread some of the sauce over the outside of the duck so it is lightly coated.
With the onion mixture that’s left in the pot, spread it out evenly across the bottom of the pot and carefully place the duck on top (breast side down). Cover the pot and place into the preheated oven for 60 minutes.
Take the pot out of the oven, and using a large roasting fork, carefully lift the duck up to dump the onions and liquid out of the cavity. Then carefully flip the duck so the breast is facing up. There should still be plenty of liquid at the bottom of the pan, but feel free to add a bit of chicken stock if it’s looking dry.
Cover and return to the oven for another 30 to 60 minutes depending upon how tender you like your duck. Check the duck after 30 minutes for tenderness and add more stock if the sauce is drying out. Once you are satisfied with the tenderness, cook for another 15 minutes uncovered. Again, if there is no sauce, add in more chicken stock. Transfer the pot from the oven to the stovetop, and carefully transfer the duck to a serving plate or cutting board for carving.
Stir the sauce, discarding the tangerine peels and plum pits. If all went well, the sauce should have turned into a beautiful onion marmalade. Reduce the sauce over the stovetop if it is too thin, or add chicken stock to deglaze if the sauce is too dry.
Spoon some of the sauce and onions over the top of the duck and serve the rest of the sauce on the side.
You’ll love this Chinese sour plum duck classic dish!
Sour Plum Duck, A Hakka Chinese Classic
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck (2.25 kg, about 5 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1½ tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 5 shallots (thinly sliced, about ½ cup)
- 3 large onions (thinly sliced, about 4 cups)
- 6 salted plums (Koon Chun Brand)
- 1½ cups plum sauce (Koon Chun Brand)
- 1½ cups low sodium chicken stock (680g)
- 3 to 4 pieces dried orange or tangerine peel
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Instructions
- Remove the giblet packet from the duck, rinse both the inside and outside of the duck thoroughly, and let the water drain out. You can discard the giblets or place them in the pot with the duck if you like. Pat the duck dry with a paper towel. Combine the salt, white pepper, and ginger in a small bowl, and rub the spice mix evenly all over the duck, both outside and inside the cavity. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat 1½ tablespoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven (or other oven-safe pot with a lid) over medium-high heat. Sear the duck on both sides until lightly browned and transfer the duck to a plate. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the garlic, shallots, and onions to the pot where you seared the duck. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until softened.
- Use your hands or a fork to smash the salted plums, and add them to the pot. The plums should be pitted, but it is also okay to just add the pits and pick them out before serving. Also stir in the plum sauce, chicken stock, dried citrus peels, and vinegar. Mix well over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from the heat.
- Spoon one cup of the onion mixture into the duck cavity, using a spoon to coat the inside of the duck as best as possible. Spread some of the sauce over the outside of the duck so it is lightly coated. With the onion mixture that's left in the pot, spread it out evenly across the bottom of the pot and carefully place the duck on top (breast side down). Cover the pot and place into the preheated oven for 60 minutes.
- Take the pot out of the oven, and using a large roasting fork, carefully lift the duck up to dump the onions and liquid out of the cavity. Then carefully flip the duck so the breast is facing up. There should still be plenty of liquid at the bottom of the pan, but feel free to add a bit of chicken stock if it's looking dry.
- Cover and return to the oven for another 30 to 60 minutes depending upon how tender you like your duck. Check the duck after 30 minutes for tenderness and add more stock if the sauce is drying out. Once you are satisfied with the tenderness, cook for another 15 minutes uncovered. Again, if there is no sauce, add in more chicken stock. Transfer the pot from the oven to the stovetop, and carefully transfer the duck to a serving plate or cutting board for carving.
- Stir the sauce, discarding the tangerine peels and plum pits. If all went well, the sauce should have turned into a beautiful onion marmalade. Reduce the sauce over the stovetop if it is too thin, or add chicken stock to deglaze if the sauce is too dry.
- Spoon some of the sauce and onions over the top of the duck, and serve the rest of the sauce on the side.
Hi, I really want to make this for mine and my husband’s first wedding anniversary this weekend but I can’t find any salted plums. I went to the big Chinese supermarket near me in the UK which is huge but they only stock plum sauce.
What can I substitute instead of salted plums? Or how can I make my own?
Thanks.
Hi Ange, salted plums are really important for this dish, but you can use Japanese umeboshi if you can find them. If you still can’t find those, you can use stock plum sauce, and add some apricot preserves and salt to balance the sweetness to your taste.
Do you think I could just use a roasting pan and tin foil to cover it if I don’t have a covered pot/dutch oven?
Hi J, yes, that works! Check the duck when it’s almost done and extend the cooking time if you want more tender meat!
Heya! So I’m wondering how to carve this duck — I see the chefs in chinatown do so effortlessly, in just a couple of minutes with their cleavers, but when I try it’s kind of a mess and an ordeal! Any guides out there?
Hi Tim, haha, I am working on a tutorial on how to cut chicken, and the technique can be applied to duck. But for now, it’s best to cut the duck apart at the joints. The essential move to cut chicken and duck at home is to use a good solid chef’s knife to slice through the meat, and when you hit the bone put some pressure on it and use the help of your other hand to give the top of the knife a sharp blow to make the bone cut. Kitchen shears also work very nicely for that. A heavy Chinese cleaver is even better. Hope that helps and happy cooking!
Hi! My husband and I are excited to be making this for Thanksgiving and wanted some suggestions for side dishes. We were thinking of steamed rice, and your stir fried watercress recipe. We would love ideas for maybe a soup or other dishes in the Hakka style that might go well? We love your blog and cook from it often, thanks so much in advance!
Hi Jennie, have you seen our recent soup recipe roundup? That post should give you some ideas! https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-soup-recipes/
As for other Hakka style dishes, you could try our stuffed tofu or stuffed peppers:
https://thewoksoflife.com/stuffed-tofu-hakka-style/
https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-stuffed-peppers-2/
You could also try our savory Tang Yuan (rice balls), which could sub in for soup: https://thewoksoflife.com/savory-tang-yuan/
I love this dish. When I was growing up it was a staple at special family dinners. As you write it, I have the same memories of my mom & grandmother making it. The sour plum seeds in the finished dish were never taken out and were special treats of flavor, to be sucked dry like a tart and sour candy (don’t swallow though!) Thanks for posting this recipe & write-up. Kudo’s on this website – It’s my go-to place for when I feel like cooking something special.
Hi Sandy, thanks for sharing your comforting and familiar story. Hope you give it a try :)
Duck came out too tough! Is there a time limit or did I do it too quick? I did stick to the time you gave.
John
Hi John, Some folks like their duck meat to have some spring to it and others like it very soft. I will adjust the directions to address it. Thanks so much for the feedback!
OK, 2nd try on the plums. When I asked for salted plums at the Asian market they sold me a package of dried plums with a whitish coating which I assume is salt. On the way home I stopped at a gourmet store and saw a jar of Japanese salted plums (not dried) so I bought that too because I thought the plums in the recipe were wet. Then when I got home and checked the recipe I saw that firstly, the plums are indeed wet, and secondly, the label on the jar says pickled plums, not salted plums. So should I soak the dried salted plums, use the Japanese salted plums, or go back to the Asian market and ask for pickled plums? And if I can use the dried plums, do I discard the soaking water? Otherwise I would think the dish would be far too salty. And Ed Yau had an interesting suggestion but since I don’t know any languages that use characters I’m afraid they all look the same to me, plus it isn’t really practical to print out a picture of every ingredient to take with me to the store. Sorry for my ignorance! Thank you.
Hi Marcia, sorry for the delayed response! I think the Japanese salted plums are closer in taste to the Chinese variety and may be practically the same! I see these plums labeled both “pickled” and “salted,” but the ones we use for this recipe are wet and have an equally salty and sour flavor. I have never used the dried salted plums, so I wouldn’t suggest using them unless you want to experiment! As for the liquid, we don’t use the liquid from the jar, and I wouldn’t use your soaking liquid either, because it is very salty!