Kalua Duck with Plum Wine Sauce and Lundberg Rice
Moist pieces of duck are placed on top of a rich, nutty rice blend and then drizzled with rich plum wine sauce. The dish gets its name, Kalua Duck, from a traditional preparation for pork. Kalua pig is cooked slowly in an underground oven until it literally falls off the bones. Lundberg Rice is a packaged rice mix; look for it in gourmet markets. Note that the sauce and duck have similar cooking times, and can cook simultaneously; if your duck is thick and needs a longer cooking time, reduce the heat under the sauce to slow its reduction time to match.
Ingredients
- Plum Wine Duck Sauce
- Duck carcasses and trimmings, above - 2 reserved, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Celery - 3 cups, finely diced
- Carrots - 3 cups, finely diced
- Onions - 3 cups, finely diced
- Leeks - 2, white part only, quartered
- Shallots - 2, minced
- Japanese plum wine - 2 cups
- Bay Leaves - 2
- Peppercorns - 1 tablespoon
- Chicken stock, or water - 4 quarts
- Kalua Duck
- Ducks - 2, boned and cut into quarters, carcasses and trimmings reserved
- Hawaiian or kosher salt - 2 tablespoons
- Ground Pepper - 1 tablespoon
- Rendered duck fat or vegetable oil - 8 cups
- Liquid smoke (optional) - 1/4 cup
- Garlic Cloves - 8, large
- Peppercorns - 1 tablespoon
- Lundberg Rice
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Shallots - 1/2 cup, minced
- Fresh Parsley - 1/2 cup, minced
- Japanese plum wine - 1/4 cup
- Lundberg rice mix - 2 cups, or other wild and brown rice mix
- Clarified chicken stock - 3 cups
- Steamed Vegetables
- Baby Carrots - 8, peeled
- Fresh baby corn - 8
- Baby bok choy - 8
Instructions
To make the plum wine sauce: In a heavy, large pot, brown the duck bones and trimmings over high heat, rendering the fat. Pour off the fat and reserve; add the vegetables. Continue to brown, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the plum wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and stock or water. Bring to a boil and skim off the fat and foam. Cook over medium heat until reduced by half. Strain, skim the fat, and continue to cook to reduce to 1 to 2 cups of thick sauce. The total reduction time will be about 2 hours.
To prepare the duck: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Season the ducks with the salt and pepper. Put the ducks in a Dutch oven. In a deep saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the reserved duck fat or oil to 275 F, or until melted. Add the liquid smoke, if using. Pour over the duck to cover the duck completely. Add the garlic and peppercorns. Cover with a lid and bake for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat starts to fall off the bones. Let cool to room temperature, then drain off the oil. Remove the meat from the bones. Return the duck and garlic to the pan.
To make the rice: In a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and saute the shallots and parsley until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add the stock, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and keep warm.
To steam the vegetables: Fill the bottom of a steamer with water and bring to a boil. Put the carrots, corn, and bok choy in the top of the steamer and cover. Steam until tender, about 12 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
To serve: Rewarm the duck in the oven on medium heat, or in a skillet. Place a mound of rice in the center of each plate and put some of the duck over the rice. Circle the sauce around the rice. Cross a baby carrot and a piece of baby corn on each side of the duck. Garnish with the roasted garlic and bok choy.
