STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

My Celestial Eight-Treasure Duck is a perennial family favourite that I will cook every Chinese New Year for reunion dinners, or for special birthday parties.

My children and niece simply love this dish! By the way, the term ‘Celestial Duck’ is coined by my family because it tastes so ‘heavenly’, but the actual term people use is Eight Treasure Duck or  八宝鸭.

You seldom see Eight Treasure Duck being served nowadays so it is one vanishing heritage recipes that I really want to preserve, especially since it’s very much part of my family’s annual CNY tradition.

Scroll down to learn how to make this special dish. All the hard work and labour of love is worth it in the end!

TRICK OF THE TRADE

It’s called Eight Treasure Duck because the duck is stuffed with eight types of ‘treasures’: lean pork, barley, gingko nut, dried chestnut, lotus seeds, dried mandarin peel, dried mushrooms and ginger.

The duck is then sewn up to seal in the ‘treasures’, then slowly steamed in an extra large wok for 5-6 hours over a traditional charcoal flame (a conventional stove works fine too, but I just love the smokiness of the flavour when it is cooked over a charcoal flame).

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH

• The robust and charcoal flavour of the duck. Stuffing the duck with many ‘treasures’ boosts the duck’s overall flavour, making for a very complex and sophisticated dish.
• It’s a dish that my family loves! From young to old, everyone says this dish is an annual must have for Chinese New Year.

HOW TO MAKE EIGHT TREASURE DUCK?

1. Boil a small pot of water. Once boiling, throw in the lotus seeds and boil for 10-15 minutes. Once cooled, remove the skin (if any) then split into half and remove the centre core. Wash and set aside for later use.
2. Remove shells from gingko nut and peel the skin by soaking in hot water. Split the gingko nut into half and remove the centre core. Then wash, drain and set aside.
3. Soak dried mushrooms until soft. Cut into thin strips. Keep the mushroom water for use as stock later.
4. Remove the innards from the duck and pluck out any stray feathers using a kitchen tweezer. Cut off the part of the ‘bishop’s nose’ around the butt hole and discard it. Chop off the duck’s webbed feet, then cut off the sharp nail tips from webs. Leave the neck and head intact.
5. Exfoliate the duck skin using coarse salt to thoroughly clean it, then rinse with water and pat very dry with a paper kitchen towel.
6. Rub the whole duck with the 1 TBsp of light soya sauce and let it stand for 10 mins until the skin is light brown coloured.
7. Wash the dried mandarin peel, rinse the barley and set aside.
8. Wash and cut the meat into strips.
9. Heat up the wok without using oil. Place duck onto the wok to lightly brown it on all sides. Once the duck is browned, remove the duck. Pour the duck oil out into a bowl.
10. Add 1 tbsp of the duck oil back into the wok. When the oil is oil, add in the lean pork and stir fry over medium heat for a few minutes.
11. Next, add another 1 tbsp of the duck oil to the wok. When the oil is heated up, add in the rest of the prepared stuffing ingredients and fry for another few minutes.
12. Fill the belly of the duck with the prepared stuffing. Then, sew up the duck with thread and needle.
    

    

    

    

    
    
13. Place the whole duck in a deep cake pan. Top up mushroom water with tap water to make up half a bowl, then add to the cake pan. Wrap the tray with aluminium foil to contain the aromas from the duck during steaming.
14. Place in a steamer and steam for 5-6 hours. (I like to use the traditional charcoal stove but the conventional type will do too.
15. Use a skewer to poke through the duck to see if it is soft and tender. Add a little salt or soya sauce to taste. Remove the thread from the duck before serving. The meat should be soft, tender and melt in the mouth. Best served hot.

1. Never wash lotus seeds before cooking. Once the lotus seed touches cold water, no matter how long you boil it, it will remain as hard as rock! Instead you should boil it first, and then wash it afterwards.
2. Use a traditional charcoal stove if you have one, as it will add a delicious, to-die-for smoky aroma to the duck. If using a charcoal stove, check on the fire from time to time and add charcoal when necessary.
3. Check on the water level in the wok during steaming to ensure it does not dry up. You need a sufficient amount of water to produce enough steam to thorough cook the duck to a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
4. Always using boiling water to top up water for steaming, otherwise it will affect the cooking time.
5. Place some clean towels around the wok cover to minimise evaporation.
6. add just enough water to cover to 1 inch above the mushrooms when soaking, and don’t change the water, otherwise the mushrooms will be tasteless! You can read my article on How to Choose Shiitake Mushrooms to make sure you are getting good quality mushrooms!

PREPARING THE DUCK

1. Leave the duck’s head and the bishop’s nose intact. It is auspicious for Chinese New Year as it symbolises that one finishes what one has started (有头有胃 in Chinese).
2. Leave the duck’s head and neck on. It can be used as a handle to grip the duck during the browning process.
3. You can use the duck feet to cook soup, or add it into the dish.
4. Remove as much fats from the duck as you can prior to cooking, as ducks are quite fatty. This way the dish will be less oily and more healthy as well as palatable! Alternatively, you can use a fat separator to remove the oil from the sauce before you pour it over the duck for serving.

ADJUSTMENTS

1. There are many variations of eight treasure duck and no standard list of the eight ‘treasures’. Some people prefer to use glutinous rice instead of barley, so its a matter of personal tastes and preferences. The recipe above is just the one that my family enjoys and have been eating for many years.

DIETARY MODIFICATIONS

• Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
• Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
• Gluten-Free: Skip the barley and use gluten free soya sauce.
• Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
• Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.

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Celestial Eight Treasure Duck (八宝鸭)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: ba bao ya, chinese new year duck, eight treasure duck

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 7 hours hours

Servings: 5

Calories: 694kcal

Author: Bee Leng

AS FEATURED ON CNA INSIDER <VANISHING HOME RECIPES> Celestial Eight Treasure Duck (八宝鸭) is a 'melt-in-your-mouth' stuffed duck dish that takes 5-6 hours to cook over a charcoal stove, and is a dish fit for a king - the perfect centrepiece for special occasions like birthdays and Chinese New Year!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Duck
• 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 3 tbsp Coarse Salt For exfoliating the duck skin

'Eight Treasure' Stuffing Ingredients

• 20 g Lean Pork
• 30 g Barley
• 30 g Gingko Nuts
• 30 g Dried Chestnuts
• 30 g Dried Lotus Seeds
• 1 piece Dried Mandarin Peel
• 3 pieces Chinese Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
• 4 slices Ginger

Instructions

PREPARATION METHOD

• Boil a small pot of water. Once boiling, throw in the lotus seeds and boil for 10-15 minutes. Once cooled, remove the skin (if any) then split into half and remove the centre core. Wash and set aside for later use.
• Remove shells from gingko nut and peel the skin by soaking in hot water. Split the gingko nut into half and remove the centre core. Then wash, drain and set aside.
• Soak dried mushrooms until soft. Cut into thin strips. Keep the mushroom water for use as stock later.
• Remove the innards from the duck and pluck out any stray feathers using a kitchen tweezer. Cut off the part of the 'bishop's nose' around the butt hole and discard it. Chop off the duck's webbed feet, then cut off the sharp nail tips from webs. Leave the neck and head intact. 
• Exfoliate the duck skin using coarse salt to thoroughly clean it, then rinse with water and pat very dry with a paper kitchen towel.
• Rub the whole duck with the 1 TBsp of light soya sauce and let it stand for 10 mins until the skin is light brown coloured.
• Wash the dried mandarin peel, rinse the barley and set aside.
• Wash and cut the meat into strips.

COOKING METHOD

• Heat up the wok without using oil. Place duck onto the wok to lightly brown it on all sides. Once the duck is browned, remove the duck. Pour the duck oil out into a bowl.
• Add 1 tbsp of the duck oil back into the wok. When the oil is oil, add in the lean pork and stir fry over medium heat for a few minutes.
• Next, add another 1 tbsp of the duck oil to the wok. When the oil is heated up, add in the rest of the prepared stuffing ingredients and fry for another few minutes.
• Fill the belly of the duck with the prepared stuffing. Then, sew up the duck with thread and needle.
• Place the whole duck in a deep cake pan. Top up mushroom water with tap water to make up half a bowl, then add to the cake pan. Wrap the tray with aluminium foil to contain the aromas from the duck during steaming.
• Place in a steamer and steam for 5-6 hours. (I like to use the traditional charcoal stove but the conventional type will do too.)
• Use a skewer to poke through the duck to see if it is soft and tender. Add a little salt or soya sauce to taste. Remove the thread from the duck before serving. The meat should be soft, tender and melt in the mouth. Best served hot.

Notes

COOKING TIPS

1. Never wash lotus seeds before cooking. Once the lotus seed touches cold water, no matter how long you boil it, it will remain as hard as rock! Instead you should boil it first, and then wash it afterwards.
2. Use a traditional charcoal stove if you have one, as it will add a delicious, to-die-for smoky aroma to the duck. If using a charcoal stove, check on the fire from time to time and add charcoal when necessary.
3. Check on the water level in the wok during steaming to ensure it does not dry up. You need a sufficient amount of water to produce enough steam to thorough cook the duck to a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
4. Always using boiling water to top up water for steaming, otherwise it will affect the cooking time.
5. Place some clean towels around the wok cover to minimise evaporation.
6. add just enough water to cover to 1 inch above the mushrooms when soaking, and don't change the water, otherwise the mushrooms will be tasteless! You can read my article on How to Choose Shiitake Mushrooms to make sure you are getting good quality mushrooms!

Read Also:  Hokkien Braised Duck (Lor Ark)

PREPARING THE DUCK

1. Leave the duck's head and the bishop's nose intact. It is auspicious for Chinese New Year as it symbolises that one finishes what one has started (有头有胃 in Chinese).
2. Leave the duck's head and neck on. It can be used as a handle to grip the duck during the browning process.
3. You can use the duck feet to cook soup, or add it into the dish.
4. Remove as much fats from the duck as you can prior to cooking, as ducks are quite fatty. This way the dish will be less oily and more healthy as well as palatable! Alternatively, you can use a fat separator to remove the oil from the sauce before you pour it over the duck for serving.

ADJUSTMENTS

1. There are many variations of eight treasure duck and no standard list of the eight 'treasures'. Some people prefer to use glutinous rice instead of barley, so its a matter of personal tastes and preferences. The recipe above is just the one that my family enjoys and have been eating for many years.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 694kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 379mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 4.3mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 4.1mg