Shredded Spice Road Duck Chive Puffs

I've been challenged by Pearl River Bridge to create some delicious recipes using their Superior Dark soy sauce.

With so many friends and family visiting over the festive season, it’s always handy to have a few appetisers on hand to enjoy alongside a glass of mulled wine. These delicate and fragrant Chinese inspired canapes - Shredded spiced roast duck chive puffs - have always been very popular with my guests. They are incredibly simple to make. I first marinate the duck legs in the delicious spice paste before popping in the oven. While the legs are roasting, the dark soy sauce imparts a deep caramel colour and flavour into the duck. It gives a mellow savouriness and provides depth and flavour to the dish. The duck is then shredded off the bone, mixed with hoisin sauce, stuffed into golden baked puff pastry vol-au-vents shells and sprinkled with some chopped chives. The perfect canapé for the upcoming festive season.

I have included the full recipe so give it a try. Let me know how you get on!

Love, Ching x

SHREDDED SPICE ROAD DUCK CHIVE PUFFS

Duck legs are marinated in a delicious spice paste. The dark soy is used to impart a deep caramel colour and flavour to the duck while roasting. The duck is then shredded off the bone, mixed with hoisin sauce, stuffed into golden baked puff pastry vol au vents shells and sprinkled with some chopped chives. The perfect canapé for the upcoming festive season.

• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Marinade time: 1 hour
• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Makes approx. 14 puffs

INGREDIENTS：

• 460g Free Range Duck legs, skin on

For the marinade

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons Shaosing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
• 2 tablespoons runny honey
• 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon sriracha chilli sauce
• 1 tablespoon Pearl River Bridge Dark soy sauce
• 1 pinch of flaky sea salt
• 1 pinch of dried chillies

For seasoning the duck

• 3 tablespoon hoisin sauce

For the vol au vent pastry shells

• 2 sheets shop bought puff pastry roll
• 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

For the garnish

• 10g finely chopped chives

METHOD：

(1) Place the duck legs in a zip lock bag, and add all the ingredients for the marinade. Zip up and give the bag a good massage and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

(2) Heat the oven to 180 degrees; place the duck legs (including all the contents of the marinade) pouring out onto a baking tray lined with kitchen foil (this will be easier to wash up). Roast for 50 minutes skin side up until well done, until the meat falls comes off the bone and is easy to shred. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

(3) Meanwhile, reheat the oven to 180 degrees. Take the puff pastry out of the fridge, unroll on a flat surface. Take a cutter about 5cm in diameter. Place the cut pieces on an oiled flat baking tray. Make 12-14 discs. Repeat to make another 12-14 discs, with this second batch, take a small knife and cut a circle in the centre, leaving 1 cm off the edge of the disc so you have a hollow centre. Place each of these on top of the other discs and press gently making sure they sit on top of each other. (As the puffs bake, the centre will become hollow allowing you to stuff with the delicious shredded duck). Lightly brush each pastry shell with some beaten egg. Place the tray into the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees until golden.

(4) Finely shred all the duck and mix well with the hoi sin sauce. Prepare some finely chopped chives and mix some into the meat saving some to garnish. Remove the pastry from the oven, push the centre of each right down and then top each one.