Salted Vegetable Duck Soup

Method11 steps · about 1 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Cover the salted mustard greens (1 kg) with warm water about 2 inches above them. Soak for 20 minutes in this same basin; do not change the water.

   Check the mustard-green saltiness · 20 minUses 1 kg salted mustard greens (kiam chye) · Warm water, enough to cover the mustard greens by about 2 inches

2. 2

   Step 2: Taste a small clean piece of the soaked mustard greens. If still too salty, keep them in the same unchanged basin for another 10 minutes; otherwise proceed without this extra wait. Drain and discard all the soaking water.

   Extra soak only if still too salty · 10 minUses All greens in the unchanged basin from step 1

3. 3

   Step 3: Separate the drained mustard-green leaves, trim and discard the tough fibrous stem, and cut the edible leaves into substantial pieces. Keep the pieces fairly large so they do not disintegrate in the soup.

   Uses All drained greens from step 2; soaking water discarded

4. 4

   Step 4: Wash the tomatoes (8) and cut them into wedges, then drain the washing water.

   Uses 8 tomatoes · Water, as needed to wash tomatoes, tamarind skin and sour plums

5. 5

   Step 5: Wash the tamarind skin (6 pieces) and sour plums (3), drain them and keep them together ready for their separate soup stages.

   Uses 6 pieces tamarind skin · 3 sour plums · Water, as needed to wash tomatoes, tamarind skin and sour plums

6. 6

   Step 6: Peel the two thumb-sized ginger pieces and lightly bruise them with the flat of a knife.

   Uses 2 thumb-sized pieces ginger

7. 7

   Step 7: Remove the duck (2.2 kg) skin, visible fat and innards, then cut the duck into substantial bone-in chunks. Pat away surface residue with kitchen paper instead of washing the raw poultry. Clean hands, tools and the work area after this handling, keeping the prepared vegetables separate.

   Uses 2.2 kg whole duck, before skin/fat/innard removal

8. 8

   Step 8: Bring the measured 3 litres of soup water to a full boil in a large pot. Have this main pot ready before briefly blanching the duck in a separate pot.

   Uses 3 litres water for the soup

9. 9

   Step 9: In a separate pot, bring enough blanching water to a boil. Add the prepared duck chunks and blanch for about 3 minutes once boiling resumes, skimming surface scum. Lift them out with clean tongs and transfer immediately into the already boiling main soup pot; discard the blanching water. This brief blanch is not full cooking, and the partially cooked duck is not held for later use.

   Brief duck blanch · 3 minUses All bone-in duck pieces trimmed in step 7; discarded skin/fat/innards excluded · Water, enough to briefly blanch the duck pieces in a separate pot · All initially measured 3 litres brought to a boil in step 8

10. 10

    Step 10: With the blanched duck already in the main pot, add all the prepared tamarind skin and bruised ginger. Return to a steady boil, reduce to medium heat and cook for 30 minutes, watching the level and skimming surface scum as needed.

    First duck-and-aromatic simmer · 30 minUses All duck and main-pot soup water from step 9; separate blanch water discarded · All six washed tamarind pieces from step 5; sour plums held separately · Both peeled bruised ginger pieces from step 6

11. 11

    Step 11: Lower the heat to medium-low. Add all the prepared mustard-green pieces, tomato wedges and washed sour plums, then cook for another 30 minutes, checking then and continuing as needed until the duck is tender without falling apart and its thickest meat reaches at least 74°C. Skim any unwanted surface fat with a spoon or use a fat separator when serving. Serve the soup piping hot in about eight portions.

    Check the duck-and-vegetable soup · 30 minUses All soup from step 10 · All edible mustard-green pieces from step 3; fibrous trimmings discarded · All eight tomatoes washed and cut in step 4 · All three washed sour plums from step 5; tamarind used separately