- Guide
- Flavors
By Zhang Junlin, Converged Media Reporter
From soy-braised duck and salted duck to duck stewed with aged mustard greens, Quanzhou offers a feast of duck dishes that go far beyond the now-famous ginger duck, which rose to fame alongside the city's cultural tourism boom. In fact, duck has long held a central place in Quanzhou kitchens, prepared through a wide variety of techniques that continue to delight seasoned foodies.
Braising, Steaming, Simmering, and More: A Symphony of Duck Flavours
According to Lin Huiyang—Fujian cuisine master, executive chef at Quanzhou Wanxing Restaurant, and certified judge for China Culinary Association competitions—Quanzhou's duck repertoire spans simmering, stewing, braising, pan-searing, marinating, and steaming.
Duck soup is a household favourite. Female Muscovy ducks are particularly prized for their tender texture and clean flavour. One standout dish is Yiya Soup (溢鴨湯), a nostalgic local delicacy made using a double-steaming technique without a drop of added water, extracting only the duck's pure, concentrated juices.
Today, duck is often slow-cooked with seasonal seafood like clams or large local crabs. The blend of seafood sweetness and duck richness yields a golden broth that is both nourishing and bright. Another popular method pairs duck soup with vermicelli: duck bones are simmered into a rich base, while duck breast slices are marinated in soy sauce and sweet potato starch, then poached until silky. The starch seals in the juices, and the dish balances hearty broth with the satisfying texture of noodles.
Braised or Boiled: Duck in Every Texture
Quanzhou's braised duck features two signature styles. One follows the classic lu shui (鹵水) method—simmering duck in master stock flavoured with star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaf, resulting in savoury, aromatic meat. The second, unique to Quanzhou, stir-fries duck with sesame oil and ginger until dry, then braises it with rice wine, water, and a touch of rock sugar or maltose to create a deep, glossy glaze.
Salted duck also enjoys a strong following. Ducks with a balanced fat-to-lean ratio are gently poached in brine infused with ginger and scallion at a low boil. Once cooked, they are rubbed with minced garlic, salt, and MSG, resulting in tender, juicy meat laced with garlicky umami.
Ginger Duck: The Dish and Its Roots
Wur Weimin, chairman of Wu's Gourmet Co. and lead drafter of the local standard Quanzhou Snacks—Ginger Duck Preparation Techniques, explains that the correct phrasing of the dish is "ginger-mother / duck," highlighting the role of aged ginger. In Quanzhou, ginger duck comes in dry, wet, and semi-dry styles, each brand boasting its own sauce recipe. Yet they all share a base of white-faced red Muscovy duck and preferably three-year-old ginger, slow-cooked in sesame oil.
A local saying captures the essence:
Ginger aged for three years yields fragrant warmth;Motherly essence stews into lasting heat.Choose red-faced, yellow-footed duck—Infusing Min-style aromas to fill the home with comfort.
Medicinal Wisdom: Duck as Nourishing Cuisine
Quanzhou locals also excel at pairing duck with regional herbs to create therapeutic meals. Yongchun white duck soup is a culinary calling card. According to Zhang Guowen, president of the Yongchun Culinary Association, households often prepare this dish with white Muscovy duck, stewed with either five-finger fig root (which lends a coconut aroma) or milky root (which adds a sweet creaminess). Both help reduce gaminess while enhancing sweetness.
Another version features cooked rehmannia root and red-faced duck, paired with astragalus and angelica. This creates a herbal broth that balances medicinal fragrance with deep meatiness.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor Xu Xijin explains that the soup reflects adapted wisdom from the classic Eight Treasure Decoction. Ingredients like cooked rehmannia (kidney nourishment), angelica (blood circulation), goji berries (liver support), and astragalus (immune strengthening) are stewed with duck to produce a soup that is "cleansing but not cooling, nourishing but not stagnant."
Duck for All Seasons: Especially Summer
Though ginger duck is warming by nature, Dr Xu insists it suits all seasons. Despite the TCM saying, "Eat radish in winter, ginger in summer," many fear ginger duck might overheat the body. However, ginger's spiciness transforms during stir-frying in sesame oil—the gingerols mellow, and when combined with the cooling nature of duck meat, the dish achieves balance.
For hot weather, Dr Xu recommends water duck stewed with bitter greens. As the bitterness dissolves through cooking, the broth becomes refreshingly sweet. Duck stewed with aged mustard greens (mei gan cai) is another seasonal favourite, as the sour notes cut through the duck's richness and boost appetite.
Tailored Health Pairings
Dr Xu also offers specific pairings for different body types:
Dendrobium and astragalus with water duck: Supports both qi and yin.
Rehmannia and dendrobium: Nourishes yin and reduces internal heat.
Nine-processed polygonatum with duck: Ideal for gentle summer nourishment.
Duck gizzards and meat stewed with tai zi shen, polygonatum, and yuan zhi: Believed to clear phlegm, sharpen the mind, and boost vitality.
For optimal benefits, he advises consulting a licensed TCM practitioner when preparing these herbal dishes.
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