STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

The salted vegetable duck soup, or ‘kiam chye ark’ as it is known in Hokkien, I am sharing today is my family’s Hokkien-style recipe. The Teochews and Nyonyas also have their own versions. During Chinese New Year reunion dinners, this is definitely one dish that can’t be missed out!

Contrary to what you may think, this dish is not at all complicated and I’m confident you can whip up this tasty soup. Just be sure to follow my step by step instructions carefully and don’t skip steps! The most time-consuming part is to remove all the fats from the duck, but the rest of the process is really easy and fuss-free.

TRICK OF THE TRADE

A common beginner mistake is to change the water a few times when soaking the kiam chye so it won’t be too salty. However, if you do that, the saltiness from the kiam chye will keep leaking out into the water due to osmosis, and it will end up blend and tasteless.

So remember, don’t change the water during soaking. This way, the salt content in the water will reach saturation point and the saltiness of the kiam chye will equalise with the salt content of the soaking water, thereby retaining its taste.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

HOW TO MAKE SALTED VEGETABLE DUCK SOUP

PREPARATION (30 min)

1. Soak the kiam chye in a basin of warm water for about 20 minutes (water should cover 2 inches above the kiam chye). Taste the kiam chye to see if it is too salty. If so, continue to soak for another 10 minutes.
2. De-skin the duck and remove all the fats. Remove the innards and wash thoroughly, then chop the duck into chunks.
3. Blanche the duck in boiling water for 3 mins, then rinse with running water to remove any remnant blood clots.
4. Separate out the kiam chye leaves. Next, cut off the fibrous stem and discard, then cut the leaves into smaller pieces.
5. Wash and cut the tomatoes into wedges.
6. Next, wash the tamarind skin and the sour plums.
7. Lastly, peel the ginger and lightly bruise it with a knife.

Cooking (1 hour)

1. Boil 3 litres of water in a large pot. Once boiling, add in the duck, tamarind skin and ginger and continue to boil over medium heat for half an hour.
2. Turn down the heat to medium-low, then add in the kiam chye, tomatoes and sour plum. Boil for another 30 mins or until the duck is soft but not disintegrated. Best served piping hot!

MARKETING TIPS

1. Avoid buying pre-packed kiam chye if possible. You can get fresher kiam chye from the wet market or those from Sheng Siong, where the kiam chye is soaked in a big tub of salty brine.

COOKING TIPS

1. Don’t cut the duck or kiam chye too small or it will disintegrate very quickly during cooking.
2. Don’t change the water when soaking the kian chye, or the kiam chye will become tasteless, as the saltiness of the kiam chye will keep being absorbed into the fresh water.
3. Ensure all the fats of the duck are removed, otherwise the soup will be very oily.

ADJUSTMENTS

1. 3 red chilli padi (sliced lengthwise and seeds removed) and 1 TBsp of brandy can be added if that is your preference.

HOW TO REMOVE THE OIL FROM THE SOUP?

If the soup is still oily, there are a few methods to remove the oil.

1. You can put it in the fridge and just scoop off the fat layer that coagulates on top. I find it troublesome because then you have to cook the soup the day before for the method to work, and it takes up space in the fridge.
2. I use my oil separator / fat separator, which is one of my best kitchen devices that I have used. You just have to pour the soup into the container, and pour the soup out, leaving the oil behind. The oil, being lighter, will float on top of the soup. Its easy to use and easy to clean as well.

DIETARY MODIFICATIONS

• Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
• Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
• Gluten-Free: No modifications needed.
• Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
• Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.

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Salted Vegetable Duck Soup

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: chinese vegetable duck soup, kiam chye ark, salted mustard green duck soup, salted vegetable duck soup, salted vegetable soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 700kcal

Author: Bee Leng

Salted vegetable duck soup (or kiam chye ark in Hokkien) is a very popular Chinese soup during festive occasions and special gatherings - a must for families during Chinese New Year!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2.2 Kg Duck Extra Large
• 1 Kg Salted Mustard Green Kiam Chye
• 8 Tomatoes
• 6 Pieces Tamarind Skin
• 3 Sour Plums
• 2 Thumb-Sized Pieces Ginger
• 3 Litres Water

Instructions

PREPARATION METHOD

• Soak the kiam chye in a basin of warm water for about 20 minutes (water should cover 2 inches above the kiam chye). Taste the kiam chye to see if it is too salty. If so, continue to soak for another 10 minutes.
• De-skin the duck and remove all the fats. Removethe innards and wash thoroughly, then chop the duck into chunks.
• Blanche the duck in boiling water for 3 mins, then rinse with running water to remove any remnant blood clots.
• Separate out the kiam chye leaves. Next, cut off the fibrous stem and discard, then cut the leaves into smaller pieces.
• Wash and cut the tomatoes into wedges.
• Next, wash the tamarind skin and the sour plums.
• Lastly, peel the ginger and lightly bruise it with a knife.

COOKING METHOD

• Boil 3 litres of water in a large pot. Once boiling, add in the duck, tamarind skin and ginger and continue to boil over medium heat for half an hour.
• Turn down the heat to medium-low, then add in the kiam chye, tomatoes and sour plum. Boil for another 30 mins or until the duck is soft but not disintegrated. Best served piping hot!

Notes

MARKETING TIPS

1. Avoid buying pre-packed kiam chye if possible. You can get fresher kiam chye from the wet market or those from Sheng Siong, where the kiam chye is soaked in a big tub of salty brine.

Read Also:  Seared Scallops with Asparagus

COOKING TIPS

1. Don't cut the duck or kiam chye too small or it will disintegrate very quickly during cooking.
2. Don't change the water when soaking the kian chye, or the kiam chye will become tasteless, as the saltiness of the kiam chye will keep being absorbed into the fresh water. 
3. Ensure all the fats of the duck are removed, otherwise the soup will be very oily.

ADJUSTMENTS

1. 3 red chilli padi (sliced lengthwise and seeds removed) and 1 TBsp of brandy can be added if that is your preference.
2. I do not recommend this soup for young children because of the high sodium content from the kiam chye.

HOW TO REMOVE THE OIL FROM THE SOUP?

If the soup is still oily, there are a few methods to remove the oil. 

1. You can put it in the fridge and just scoop off the fat layer that coagulates on top. I find it troublesome because then you have to cook the soup the day before for the method to work, and it takes up space in the fridge.
2. I use my oil separator / fat separator, which is one of my best kitchen devices that I have used. You just have to pour the soup into the container, and pour the soup out, leaving the oil behind. The oil, being lighter, will float on top of the soup. Its easy to use and easy to clean as well. You can pick up one from Amazon for less than US$15.

Nutrition

Calories: 700kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 64g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 631mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1300IU | Vitamin C: 21.4mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 4.2mg