I’ve never stopped loving claypot rice with ONLY preserved duck leg (臘鴨肶煲仔飯). Sure, there’s a number of other preserved options to season claypot rice with like pork belly (臘肉), sausage (臘腸), and duck liver (臘鴨肝), but duck leg is my one and only love since I was a little girl. If anyone wanted me to eat more rice, there’s no stopping me if it’s drenched in the salty fat of the duck leg skin.
The meat of the duck leg is super concentrated in flavor thanks to the wonders of preservation. You won’t need much to get your fill. Note, this dish is a heftier proposition on the pocketbook (duck legs can range from $6 to $10 each), so savor each bite!
I’ve also noticed that duck legs are not the most popular preserved item, so there may be limited options in the refrigerator section at your major Asian grocer. But once you get a hold of them, this dish requires minimal effort, just some patience to get this on the table!
Adapted from The Hong Kong Cookery’s Lap Mei Fan Preserved Meat Claypot Rice
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Claypot Rice with Preserved Duck Leg (臘鴨肶煲仔飯)
- Yield: 3 small with side dishes 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Steamed
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
A nostalgic Chinese meal with concentrated flavors, good with plenty of rice!
Ingredients
- 2 preserved duck legs
- 1.5 cups of jasmine rice
- Neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 1-inch knob of ginger, sliced into matchsticks
- A handful of cooked vegetables, preferably bok choy or yau choy
- Sweet soy sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the duck legs. Boil water in a large saucepan. Remove the duck legs from any packaging and boil them for 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain and thoroughly rub the duck legs under hot tap water to remove the surface oils. Pat them dry. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces* and save the bones and skin. Set aside.
- Cook the rice. Rinse the rice in a large container. Drain the rice in a fine mesh sieve. Add two tablespoons of cooking oil into the claypot and coat the interior. Add the rinsed rice and two cups of water into the claypot. Place the claypot on the burner and slowly increase heat to high. Once the water boils, scatter the ginger, followed by the duck meat, skin, and bones. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover the claypot and allow the rice to cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. DO NOT UNCOVER. Smell for toasted rice or hear for crackling rice. Once you do, turn the heat to low, and allow the rice to continue cooking undisturbed for 15 more minutes.
- Put it all together. It’s time for the unveiling! Discard the skin and bones. Loosen the rice with chopsticks and add the cooked vegetables to the claypot. Drizzle your desired amount of sweet soy sauce over this masterpiece. Divide into individual servings and enjoy immediately.
Notes
*I suggest shredding because I don’t have a cleaver to chop the duck leg into beautiful slices. If you can chop the duck leg, do it! It’s better for presentation too.
