Crispy Fragrant Duck

This is what I made for dinner, and I forgot to take a picture!! Sorry - this duck is fabulous but very very labor intensive ... next time i make it I will take the picture! Anyway, I served it with chinese pancakes and scallion brushes and broccollini...last night we had leftovers and the night before that was beef and bok choy stir fry with rice and before that homemade mac-n-cheese with broccoli

The duck takes at least 2 days to make:

Crispy Fragrant Duck

1 duck

2 Tbs five spice powder

2 Tbs chinese peppercorns

1 Tbs sea salt

2 Tbs rice wine

1" piece of fresh ginger

3 green onions

2 Tbs soy sauce

1/2 cup flour

6 cups of oil for frying

Marinate duck:

Wash and rinse duck, remove any giblets

press down hard on breastbone to flatten duck

heat five spice powder and cracked peppercorns and salt in a dry cast iron skillet until fragrant and cool briefly. Rub mixture all over duck

place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in fridge for 8 hours (or up to 48) turn duck over occasionally

Steam duck:

Pour rice wine over duck and slice ginger into rounds, slice green onions roughly. Place 1/2 of green onions and ginger in duck cavity and half on top of duck. Place duck in a glass pie plate and use a rack to put duck in plate in a wok with space below it for water. Add water (not touching plate, about 1/2" below) bring to a boil and cover - steam duck for 3 hours, draining fat from pie plate every 20 mins or so and replenishing water as necessary.

Air-dry duck:

Remove duck from plate carefully and place on a rack in a drafty spot (or direct a fan on low on it) let dry for at least 2 hours and up to 8. Turn every hour or so and blot dry with a paper towel.

Fry duck:

Run soy sauce on duck and sprinkle with flour. Heat oil in clean wok to 350 F. Fry duck breastside down for 3 mins, turn and fry for 1 min. remove and drain on paper towel lined tray. Increase oil temp to 400 and fry duck a second time for 30 secs a side. Drain and place on a pretty platter. Serve with hoisen sauce, green onion brushes and mandarin pancakes.