Recipe - Deep-Fried Steamed Duck Wmushrooms And Bm

5 Dried black mushrooms
2 Pieces tangerine peel
1 Duck; 6 to 7 pounds
2 teaspoon Soy sauce
1 cup Bamboo shoots
4 sl Fresh ginger root
3 (up to)
5 Cloves star anise
1 teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon Sugar
1 ds Pepper
1 Scallion
2 Celery stalks
1 Head lettuce
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Water
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
One fourth teaspoon Salt
One half (up to)
1 cup Chinese parsley

1. Separately soak dried mushrooms and tangerine peel.

2. Wipe duck inside and out with a damp cloth. Dry well with paper
toweling or hang up to dry in a cool, airy place 1 to 2 hours; then rub
with soy sauce.

3. Heat oil to boiling. Using a wire basket or longhandled Chinese
strainer, gently lower in duck and deepfry, basting and turning until
golden. Drain on paper toweling and let cool. Then score bird along
breastbone, but do not cut through bone.

4. Slice bamboo shoots and ginger root thin and combine with soaked
mushrooms and tangerine peel. Mix well with star anise, salt, sugar and
pepper.

5. Stuff mixture into duck cavity. Trim off scallion roots and cut celery
stalks in 2 or 3 pieces; add to cavity. Sew up securely or skewer.

6. Transfer bird to a deep heatproof bowl. Steam by the bowlinapot
method until done (about 2 hours). See "HOWTO SECTION".

7. Drain duck, transferring liquids to saucepan. Let bird cool, then
remove stuffing; reserve mushrooms and bamboo shoots, but discard other
ingredients.

8. Carefully cut off wings and legs. Then, with the hands, carefully
separate meat from bones, starting with incision on breastbone. (Keep skin
and natural shape of bird as intact as possible.)

9. Spread boned duck flat on a heatproof platter, skinside down. Bone
legs and place on top. Arrange mushrooms and bamboo shoots over duck. Steam
20 minutes more.

10. Cut lettuce in strips and arrange on a serving platter. Invert duck
onto lettuce, skin side up, with mushrooms and bamboo shoots underneath.

11. Gradually reheat duck liquids in saucepan. Meanwhile blend cornstarch,
water, remaining soy sauce and salt to a paste; then stir in to thicken
liquids. Pour sauce over duck. Mince parsley and sprinkle over as a
garnish.

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.