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Quanzhou Ginger Duck (姜母鸭)

Rich, aromatic, and deeply comforting, Quanzhou-style ginger duck is a dish that leans heavily on bold pantry flavours and slow cooking. It’s famous in Fujian cuisine, where generous amounts of ginger and sesame oil create a warming, almost medicinal depth — the kind of dish that feels like it’s doing you good while tasting incredible.

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Unlike crispy roast duck dishes, this one is all about tenderness. The duck is gently braised until soft, soaking up a fragrant sauce of soy, Shaoxing wine, and caramelised ginger. It’s intense, savoury, and perfect served simply with rice to let the flavours do the talking.

Servings
2-3
Prep Time
15
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Cook Time
90
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Ingredients
10
Total Time
105
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Pantry bits

  • Light soy sauce
  • Dark soy sauce
  • Shaoxing wine
  • Sesame oil
  • Rock sugar (or brown sugar)

Ingredients

  • 500g duck (bone-in pieces, or substitute chicken thighs)
  • 1 large knob of ginger (about 80–100g), sliced into thick coins
  • 4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
  • 2 spring onions, cut into lengths
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar (if not using rock sugar)
  • 250ml water
  • Cooked jasmine rice, to serve

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Instructions

  1. Prep the duck
  2. Pat the duck dry with kitchen paper. If using larger pieces, chop into bite-sized chunks.
  3. Render and brown
  4. Place the duck skin-side down in a cold pan, then bring up to medium heat to render the fat. Cook until lightly browned, then remove and set aside.
  5. Build the flavour base
  6. In the same pan, add sesame oil and the sliced ginger. Fry gently for 5–7 minutes until fragrant and slightly caramelised.
  7. Add aromatics
  8. Add garlic and spring onions, cooking for another minute until fragrant.
  9. Deglaze and season
  10. Return the duck to the pan. Add Shaoxing wine, light soy, dark soy, and sugar. Stir to coat everything evenly.
  11. Simmer
  12. Pour in the water, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 60 minutes.
  13. Reduce the sauce
  14. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 10–15 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
  15. Serve
  16. Serve hot over rice, spooning over the rich ginger sauce.

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Notes (optional, if you want to include)

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  • This dish gets better the next day — the ginger flavour deepens overnight.
  • Traditional versions use loads of ginger — don’t be shy here.
  • You can swap duck for chicken if needed, but duck fat gives the best result.

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Other recipes

Crispy Chicken Vermicelli Salad with Nuoc Cham
Dubu Jorim – Braised Tofu
Tteokbokki – Korean Spicy Rice Cakes

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