Thai Duck Noodles Soup

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!   All of the Chinese people and those who has Chinese ancestors, like myself, celebrate this rich traditions in the most meaningful ways….with food!   And each food item is said to bring specific types of good fortune in the coming year.   As rice, tangerines and oranges for Good luck, spring rolls, dumplings, and whole fish for wealth and prosperity, long noodles for longevity, duck for happiness and pork for good health, they are sure on everyone’s wish list.   I think by eating these specific of good tasty food on the New Year with its significant meanings is just a win-win situation. 

Since noodles represent long life and duck represent happiness, I guess eating duck noodle soup on the Chinese New Year would give me a long happiness life, hopefully!    I determine to continue cooking and eating lucky food that symbolize good fortune for a couple of weeks.  Let's see if I can do it.   

This bowl of duck noodle soup is pretty easy to make since the cooked duck can be purchased at the Chinese restaurant where they are also selling yummy dim sum.  When you buy the soy-braised duck, don’t be afraid to ask for a cup of sauce by telling them that you want to make duck soup.  They are happy and willing to fulfill your request.   Just ask!    Then, all you have to do is to add some more water to dilute that condense thick soy sauce and add some cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, fresh ginger, and daikon to improve the broth and seasoning some more with brown sugar for your liking.   Then, serve the soup with rice or egg noodles and veggies of your choices.  For the use of fried garlic, it can be skipped if you don’t have it.  But it will give the bowl tremendously the best flavor ever. 

What you need: *Can be served up to 4 -6 servings depends on the serving size

1 large store-bought soy-braised duck

1 cup seasoned dark soy sauce (that come with the duck)

1 stick cinnamon

2 star anise

2 cloves

8-10 cups water (or more if the sauce is thicker and salty, mine used 8 cups)

2 cups daikon, peeled and quartered (about a half of a medium daikon)

5-6 rounds fresh ginger slices  

Cooked noodles of your choice – rice noodles, egg noodles, or even vermicelli noodles – cook noodles accordingly to the package

Finely chopped green onion

Cilantro leaves

Blanched Spinach or Chinese broccoli

Beansprouts

Fried garlic with oil

Ground white pepper

Fresh red chili – optional

Condiments – vinegar, chili sauce, or dried red chili flakes 

1. Making the broth:

             -- Pick out the duck’s head, neck, and legs from other parts of the duck (see pictures)

-- In a large pot, add seasoned dark soy sauce, duck’s head, neck and legs, water, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, daikon, and ginger into the on the medium high heat and let it boils for 25 minutes or until the daikon is cooked.  Notes: Add more water if needed since the broth will reduce during the boiling.  

*In addition, seasoning with soy sauce or/and brown sugar if the taste of the broth is too weak as the broth should be a little salty from the soy sauce and a little sweet from brown sugar.  Daikon and ginger as well as spices really help improve the broth.  Mine was just right and didn’t need more seasoning.  Again, the taste of the broth depends on the sauce you got from store when you bought the duck.

2. Resemble the bowl:

                -- Add a handful of cooked noodles of your choice in a serving bowl

                -- Add blanched spinach or Chinese broccoli, or other greens of your choice – kale, broccoli, zucchini, cabbage, etc.

                -- Add a few pieces of duck meat

                -- Add 1/2 teaspoon or more fried garlic + oil

                -- Ladle the broth over as much or as little as you wish

                -- Sprinkle with ground white pepper, green onion, cilantro leaves, and some beansprouts

                -- Serve with condiments as an extra seasoning as your preferred taste