Chinese-style crispy five-spice duck
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Chinese-style crispy five-spice duck
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp redcurrant jelly
- 375ml red wine
- 2 star anise
- 6 plums, destoned and quartered
- 1 tbsp Chinese five-spice
- 1-2 rounded tsp crushed sea salt
- 4 Gressingham duck breasts, skin-scored (approx 600g)
- 4 nests medium egg noodles
- 200g pak choi, washed and leaves separated
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
Step by step
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Put a medium baking tray in the oven while preheating it to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Heat the redcurrant jelly, red wine and star anise in a shallow-sided pan over a low heat. Add the plums and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce is syrupy.
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Meanwhile, rub the Chinese five-spice and sea salt into the scored skin of the duck breasts. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a frying pan over a medium heat and allow the skin to slowly crisp for 6-7 minutes.
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Transfer the duck breasts to the preheated baking tray, placing them skin-side up, and cook in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Remove and rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling water for 4-5 minutes until tender, adding the pak choi for the final minute. Drain, then toss through the sesame oil and soy sauce. Slice the duck and serve with the plums, sauce (discard the star anise) and pak choi, and serve the noodles on the side.
