In the chaotic kitchen of a recipe developer, you get a food blog called FoodMayhem.
I'm Jessica, an Asian-American, born and raised in NYC, and that's Lon, my Jewish, white husband. While professionally trained as a French culinary- and pastry chef, many of FoodMayhem recipes are my attempt to preserve and share authentic Chinese and Taiwanese recipes learned from my mom. We don't eat Chinese food every day, so you'll get a little bit of anything we find delicious enough to share: from our Eastern European side; recipes and techniques learned from my restaurant days; restaurant reviews, food travel tips; and a few other juicy bits along the way. Welcome to FoodMayhem!
I love Peking Duck, but who doesn’t. The combination of thin crisps of skin (like duck chips), the sweet hoisin sauce, and the soft warm wraps is irresistible. Just the thought can put me into a nice dreamy nap. But, I also absolutely adore Peking Duck Soup. If you’ve had Peking Duck served at the table before, you’ve seen the way the chef make slices to maximize skin on each piece. It’s all about that glistening duck fat coated skin. Do you ever wonder what happens to the rest of that duck?
There are so many goodies to be had from a whole duck. Every part is delicious, and not just the breasts and legs. The skin and fat, even the carcass, is precious. Start with a 4.5 lb headless Pekin (not Peking) or Long Island Duck. Separate the legs and wings for the confit. Save the breasts for a fabulous dish of your choice. Skin the rest of the duck. Take all that extra fat and skin, cut it into pieces, and throw it into a pot with 1/2 cup of water.
My mom makes the most amazing Salt Water Duck. Like many traditional Chinese dishes, it’s not that pretty, but when you try the texture of the meat, you will see why this unique cooking method has been past down for centuries. I don’t know of any other method to create meat that has this kind of bounce and juiciness. The best part is, it’s amazingly easy.
Salt Water Duck
