Duck occupies a particular place in Chinese cooking. It is richer than chicken, fattier, and it rewards techniques that render that fat down rather than fighting it. In China a whole duck is a dish you order for an occasion, and it arrives at the centre of the table.
We serve four preparations, and they are deliberately different from each other.
Shredded Ginger Duck — Rs. 1,140
Duck meat pulled into shreds and dry-fried hard with a lot of julienned ginger. The ginger goes from sharp to sweet as it cooks, and it cuts the richness of the duck. This is the most restrained of the four.
Braised Duck with Green Chilly — Rs. 1,120
Slow-braised in soy and rice wine with green chillies added late so they keep their bite. The sauce reduces down and coats the meat. If you like the flavour of duck rather than the idea of it, this is the one.
Chop Duck Spicy Salt — Rs. 1,090
Duck chopped through the bone, fried, then tossed with a dry mix of salt, Sichuan peppercorn and chilli. No sauce at all. It is eaten with fingers, and the bones are part of the experience.
Fried Whole Duck — Rs. 4,480
The centrepiece. A whole duck, marinated, then fried until the skin is properly crisp and the fat beneath has rendered. It serves a table of six comfortably and needs ordering ahead — call us on the day.
There is also Beer Duck Hotpot at Rs. 2,250 on the hot pot menu, where duck is simmered with beer until the broth turns rich and faintly malty. For a group in cold weather it is hard to beat.
Ordering duck for a group
Duck is the natural centre of a celebration table. Pair a whole duck or a hot pot with two or three lighter dishes — a green vegetable in garlic, a cold starter, and rice — so the meal has contrast. Call ahead for the whole duck; it is not a dish we can turn around in ten minutes.
