Beer Duck

Beer duck is a traditional dish that’s been around since the days of China’s Qing Dynasty. Experience an exquisite culinary marvel – succulent duck meat cookied and stewed in beer, to give it an unbeatable flavor and aroma! A classic meal worthy of royalty – just don’t forget your favorite brew!

In Chinese cuisine, duck meat is an incredibly popular dish that has been around for centuries. But this dish can quickly turn foul with a serious whiff of fishy smell unless the taste is properly controlled and balanced. Historically, spices were used to cover up any unwanted flavors – but too much spice could ruin the entire meal! To get it just right, cooks discovered blending wine into their recipes was the answer.

Beer has only been a part of Chinese culture for the last five thousand years, and its history traces back to Qingdao’s Russian factory. But the history of beer duck can be traced back to the Kangxi Dynasty more than 300 years ago. At that time, there was no beer in China, so it used rice wine at first. 

As Chinese people slowly embraced beer, chefs began to replace the traditional rice wine with this refreshing beverage when flavoring this dish.

Ingredients

Direction

Prepare the ingredients.

Mark as done

Clean the duck and cut it into small pieces.

Mark as done

Cut the dried chilli and marinate with the duck for 10 minutes.

Mark as done

Begin by heating the pot, then add a generous pour of oil. Then add garlic and ginger slices for fragrance.

Mark as done

Pour in star anise, fragrant leaves, Chinese prickly ash, dried chili sections, and stir dry over low heat until fragrant.

Mark as done

Next, add in the duck meat and heat over high flame until it changes color. Then spice up with pepper to stir together.

Mark as done

Pour in soy sauce and oyster sauce to the pot. Then pour in crushed fermented bean curd and stir fry everything together.

Mark as done

Once the duck is lightly seared, pour in some beer and immediately you will be met with an inviting aroma of beer that permeates your kitchen.

Mark as done

Once the bubbles in the pot have began to fade, and when the juice begins boiling, cover it with a lid and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Mark as done

Remove the lid and take a taste. If needed, season with salt to your desired preference; then mix for two minutes before removing from heat.

Mark as done

The beer duck with full aroma is ready to serve. The incorporation of beer brings a splash of vibrancy to the entire dish.

Mark as done

If you’re looking to make beer duck, any type of beer will do. But if you want an especially delicious one, Yanjing Beer is my top pick. This premium beverage has a strong aroma and refreshing taste that comes from the imported malt and Czech Saz hops used in its production; I love the light floral flavor it lends!

A good wine only contains simple ingredients and no food additives. This is the beer I’ve mentioned above. Check out this article to learn more about it.

Beer Duck

YanXin Chen

Beer duck is a traditional dish that's been around since the days of China’s Qing Dynasty. Experience an exquisite culinary marvel – succulent duck meat cookied and stewed in beer, to give it an unbeatable flavor and aroma! A classic meal worthy of royalty – just don't forget your favorite brew!

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 2 2

Calories 789 kcal

Ingredients

  

• Half duck
• 25g soy sauce
• 3g salt
• 3 slices of fragrant leaves
• Dry pepper
• 5 slices of ginger
• 2g Pepper powder
• Beer
• Oil
• 25g anise
• Two pepper
• A small handful of garlic, 4 cloves 
• Half fermented bean curd

Instructions

 

• Clean the duck and cut it into small pieces.
• Cut the dried chilli and marinate with the duck for 10 minutes.
• Begin by heating the pot, then add a generous pour of oil. Then add garlic and ginger slices for fragrance.
• Pour in star anise, fragrant leaves, Chinese prickly ash, dried chili sections, and stir dry over low heat until fragrant.
• Next, add in the duck meat and heat over high flame until it changes color. Then spice up with pepper to stir together.
• Pour in soy sauce and oyster sauce to the pot. Then pour in crushed fermented bean curd and stir fry everything together.
• Once the duck is lightly seared, pour in some beer and immediately you will be met with an inviting aroma of beer that permeates your kitchen.
• Once the bubbles in the pot have began to fade, and when the juice begins boiling, cover it with a lid and let simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid and take a taste. If needed, season with salt to your desired preference; then mix for two minutes before removing from heat.
• The beer duck with full aroma is ready to serve. The incorporation of beer brings a splash of vibrancy to the entire dish.

Notes

If you’re looking to make beer duck, any type of beer will do. But if you want an especially delicious one, Yanjing Beer is my top pick. This premium beverage has a strong aroma and refreshing taste that comes from the imported malt and Czech Saz hops used in its production; I love the light floral flavor it lends.

Keyword beer duck