Roast Duck with Sticky Rice Stuffing

Prepping the duck.
First make sure the duck is defrosted, about 2 days before serving. Remove the giblets and other stuff inside the cavity. You may want to remove any leftover quills now. Then rub the inside and outside of the duck with kosher salt. Find some way to rig the duck upright in the fridge with the body cavity pointed downwards. I put a grate in the bottom of large pot then inserted a glass jar upside down inside the duck and let it hold the duck upright in the pot. Kind of like a hand puppet. This is to dry out the skin to make it crispier.

The day before you want to serve the duck, prep the sticky rice stuffing. Wash the rice thoroughly in the morning and let soak for at least 4-8 hours. Remember the stuffing MUST be completely cool before you can stuff the duck.

Sticky Rice Stuffing:
Ingredients:
4 cups sticky rice
a handful of fried shallots (you can get these in packages in Chinatown)
6 sticks of Chinese sausage diced.
a double handful of dried shitake mushrooms soaked and diced
1 small onion or half a bunch of scallions diced
1 pack of dried cherries
duck giblets
a handful of dried shrimp soaked and minced (optional)

1. Simmer the giblets in a water for broth.
2. In a large pot, sauté the diced sausage and scallions until the fat is translucent.
3. Add the shallots and continue sautéing until the shallots smell nice.
4. Add the mushrooms and continue stirring.
5. Pour the sausage and mushroom mixture into another bowl.
6. Pour the drained rice into pot and stir fry until pungent.
7. Add about a cup of duck broth and continue stirring.
8. Pour in the sausage and mushroom mixture.
9. Add the dried cherries.
10. Mix everything thoroughly. Add enough broth or water so the rice mixture is covered.
9. Let cook for 20 minutes.
10. Check occasionally in case you have to add more liquid.
11. You probably want a drier mix for the stuffing so it doesn't ooze when the duck fat and juices soak in during baking. (Yum!)

Roasted Duck*
Ingredients:
1 duck
Salt
Needle thread
Stuffing
Glaze
Lee Kum Kee Char Siu Sauce
Orange juice
Cracked pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven 300°.
2. Score the skin, being careful not to cut into the muscle.
3. Stuff the body cavity leave a little room for expansion, otherwise it will ooze.
4. Sew the cavity closed. I would recommend a heavy CONTRASTING COLOR thread and a curved needle. Dental floss would work best. Otherwise it’s really hard to locate and removed once you’ve roasted and glazed the duck. This is NOT plastic surgery. You DO want the stitches to be easily seem and removed.
5. If your duck as a large flap of skin left from the neck. You can origami a pocket in place and stuff and sew that together.

6. Put the duck in the oven and cook for 1 hour. Make glaze.
7. Turn over and cook for 1 hour.
8. Turn over and cook for 1 hour.
9. Turn over and cook for 1/2 hour. Glaze duck.
10. Raise temperature to 400°, turn over and glaze the duck. Cook for another 1/2 hour.
11. Take the duck out of the oven and allow the duck rest for 20 minutes, to allow the juices to reabsorb and also to cool enough to cut.

Glaze
Place the Char Siu Sauce in a bowl and whisk in about an equal amount of orange juice. Then whisk in some honey. Then add enough cracked pepper to taste.

* I used this website as a guide http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/02/11/the-best-way-to-roast-a-duck-hello-crispy-skin/