Duck Congee (Chao Vit) Recipe
While the Chinese often prepare duck into delicious dishes like Peking Duck and roast duck, the Vietnamese transform duck meat into Duck Noodle Soup (Bún măng Vịt), Duck Salad (Gỏi vịt), and Duck Congee (Cháo vịt). Among Vietnamese dishes with duck, Duck Congee is the simplest to prepare and also the most popular.
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How does Duck Congee taste like?
Congee, or porridge, is one of the most popular dishes in Asia with rice as the main ingredient. Any type of rice can be used to cook congee. After being thoroughly washed, the rice are soaked and then simmered in a type of broth, such as chicken broth, pork broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth. Once the rice fully expands, we get congee, a creamy and healthy dish. Since it is simmered until very soft, congee is very easy to eat, making it a top choice for Vietnamese people for babies and those who are ill and in need of nourishment.
Duck Congee is one of the most favorite types of congee of Vietnamese people thanks to the delicious flavor of duck meat. When I was in high school, my friends and I would often visit a nearby eatery after class to enjoy duck congee and duck salad. Duck meat is tougher than chicken, but it is also more flavorful and juicy, with a crispy, crunchy skin. When served, the duck is shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces and eaten with ginger fish sauce. Duck congee is never complete without ginger fish sauce!
Ingredients for Duck Congee
Similar to chicken congee or pork rib congee, duck congee is also very easy to cook with just a few simple steps. To cook duck congee for 4 people, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 duck (1-1.2kg, ~ 35.3 oz): I usually use a whole duck to make a richer and more flavorful broth. Alternatively, you can use duck thighs or duck breast to cook duck congee. These are the best parts of a duck, with fewer small bones.
- 1 cup rice: Any type of rice can be used to cook congee, from white rice to brown rice. Vietnamese people usually use jasmine rice. You can also use Japanese rice, which will give a creamier texture.
- 1/2 cup mung beans (optional): You can use either whole or peeled split mung beans. Adding mung beans makes the congee more nutritious, and their flavor pairs well with duck meat.
- 4L (1 gal) water: With this amount of water, make sure to use a pot with a minimum capacity of 5 liters to prevent overflow when boiling.
- Salt: In this duck congee recipe, I only use salt for seasoning, which makes the dish flavorful enough. If you prefer, you can add some seasoning powder or fish sauce.
- Dipping sauce for duck meat: 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 tablespoons water. Ginger fish sauce is essential when eating duck.
- Aromatics: Chopped spring onion and coriander. These are the basic herbs; additionally, you can pair duck congee with Vietnamese coriander, Thai basil, or saw-tooth leaves, all of which are very tasty. These herbs are less common than spring onion and coriander, so they might be harder to find.
Cooking Method
You can cook the congee using a stovetop, pressure cooker, or instant pot. Using a pressure cooker or instant pot will be faster, but since you can’t open it during the cooking process, the broth may not be clear. However, this is only a minor drawback compared to the time and energy saved by using them.
To cook duck congee, you need to divide the process into two steps. Step 1 is boiling the duck, and Step 2 is simmering the rice. Below is a detailed guide for cooking duck congee:
Step 1. Preparation
- Wash the rice and mung beans, then soak them for 1 to 4 hours.
Step 2. Boil the Duck
- Before boiling the duck, you need to do a bit of prep work to ensure the duck meat is fragrant and tender after boiling. Clean the duck with salt water. Then, parboil the duck to remove strong odors and impurities. Bring a sufficient amount of water to a boil, enough to cover the duck, along with ginger, lemongrass, and shallots. Add the duck and parboil for 5 minutes, then discard the water.
- Next, add 2 liters of water to the pot and place the duck in while the water is still cold. If you are boiling the duck on the stovetop, cook it for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If using a pressure cooker or instant pot, close the lid and boil the duck for 30-40 minutes. Check if the duck is fully cooked by piercing the thickest part of the duck with chopsticks; if the juices run clear and not pink, the duck is cooked.
Step 3. Cook the Congee
- Once the duck is cooked, remove it from the pot and let it cool. Add another 2 liters of water to the pot, then pour in all the soaked rice and mung beans. Continue to cook over medium heat until the rice and mung beans are fully expanded, about 40 minutes. If using an instant pot or pressure cooker, cover the lid and cook the congee on high pressure for 20-25 minutes.
- Season the congee to taste with salt, seasoning powder, or fish sauce.
Step 4. Prepare the Dipping Sauce
- To make ginger fish sauce, pound, grind, or finely chop ginger and garlic. Mix 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of ginger, and 1 tablespoon of garlic together, then add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
- Cut the duck meat into bite-sized pieces. When serving, garnish the bowl of congee with chopped spring onion and coriander.
Duck Congee (Vietnamese Chao Vit)
Ingredients
Duck Congee
- 1 duck 1-1.2kg, ~ 35.3 oz
- 1 cup rice
- 1/2 cup mung beans optional
- 4 L water 1 gal
- Salt
- Aromatics: Chopped spring onion and coriander (optional) Vietnamese coriander, Thai basil or saw-tooth leaves
Dipping sauce (Ginger Fish Sauce)
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
Step 2. Boil the Duck
- Before boiling the duck, you need to do a bit of prep work to ensure the duck meat is fragrant and tender after boiling. Clean the duck with salt water. Then, parboil the duck to remove strong odors and impurities. Bring a sufficient amount of water to a boil, enough to cover the duck, along with ginger, lemongrass, and shallots. Add the duck and parboil for 5 minutes, then discard the water.
- Next, add 2 liters of water to the pot and place the duck in while the water is still cold. If you are boiling the duck on the stovetop, cook it for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If using a pressure cooker or instant pot, close the lid and boil the duck for 30-40 minutes. Check if the duck is fully cooked by piercing the thickest part of the duck with chopsticks; if the juices run clear and not pink, the duck is cooked.
Step 3. Cook the Congee
- Once the duck is cooked, remove it from the pot and let it cool. Add another 2 liters of water to the pot, then pour in all the soaked rice and mung beans. Continue to cook over medium heat until the rice and mung beans are fully expanded, about 40 minutes. If using an instant pot or pressure cooker, cover the lid and cook the congee on high pressure for 20-25 minutes.
- Season the congee to taste with salt, seasoning powder, or fish sauce.
Step 4. Prepare the Dipping Sauce
- To make ginger fish sauce, pound, grind, or finely chop ginger and garlic. Mix 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of ginger, and 1 tablespoon of garlic together, then add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
- Cut the duck meat into bite-sized pieces. When serving, garnish the bowl of congee with chopped spring onion and coriander.
Video
Nutrition
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