Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Duck Leg and Winter Melon Soup Rice with Dried Tangerine Peel
陳皮冬瓜鴨腿湯飯
Recipe overview
Bone-in duck legs are cold-water blanched, dried, skin-side seared to render fat, then gently simmered with scraped dried tangerine peel, filtered dried-scallop soaking liquid and ginger. Add winter melon late. Skim fat, remove chenpi, debone and inspect for fragments before serving hot broth over rice. Thickest duck meat must reach 75°C with no blood near bone. Dried scallops are a shellfish allergen and may be high in sodium.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1.2 kilograms bone-in duck legs
- 700 grams winter melon
- 5 grams dried tangerine peel
- 25 grams dried scallops
- 35 grams ginger
- 2 scallions
- 15 grams cilantro
- 800 grams cooked rice
- 2.2 litres; blanching water soup water
- 250 millilitres soaking water
- 250 ml small piece dried tangerine peel
Duck blanching seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Duck searing oil
- 1 teaspoon Cooking oil
Final soup seasoning
- about 1 teaspoon Salt
- a pinch White pepper
02
Tools
- stockpot
- blanching pot
- skillet
- spoon
- slotted spoon
- ladle
- tongs
- bowls
- sieve
- cup
- knife
- board
- thermometer
- rice paddle
- heat gloves.
03
Steps
Step 1
Step 1
Soak separately: Discard chenpi water; filter scallop water.
Step 2
Step 2
Scrape: Remove chenpi pith and shred scallops.
Step 3
Step 3
Trim duck: Remove feathers and thick fat.
Step 4
Step 4
Cold-water blanch: Start cold; discard all scum water.
Step 5
Step 5
Dry: Rinse and blot skin dry.
Step 6
Step 6
Sear: Sear skin-side down and discard excess rendered fat.
Step 7
Step 7
Build broth: Add filtered scallop water, chenpi, aromatics and duck.
Step 8
Step 8
Simmer: Keep a gentle simmer 45 minutes.
Step 9
Step 9
Add winter melon: Simmer 15–20 minutes.
Step 10
Step 10
Check: Duck reaches 75°C, no blood near bone; melon translucent and intact.
Step 11
Step 11
Skim and debone: Remove surface fat and chenpi; adult debones and checks fragments.
Step 12
Step 12
Assemble: Season, then add hot broth, duck and melon to individual rice bowls.
Common mistakes
- Never use mouldy chenpi, chenpi soaking water, unfiltered scallop water, blanching water or excess duck fat. Do not boil hard, add melon early, leave bones in vulnerable diners’ bowls or cook rice in the whole soup. Store rice and broth separately.
Tips
Never use mouldy chenpi, chenpi soaking water, unfiltered scallop water, blanching water or excess duck fat. Do not boil hard, add melon early, leave bones in vulnerable diners’ bowls or cook rice in the whole soup. Store rice and broth separately.
