DUCK RICE
Duck Rice has two varieties in Singapore. One is Roast Duck (烧鸭 in Chinese) and the other is Braised Duck (卤鸭 in Chinese). The most important thing for a good Duck Rice is definitely the tenderness of the duck , it must not be too hard and should provide some resistance when you bite in. In Singapore, both type of rice are served as lunch and diner.
To make the roast duck rice, the hawker has to prepare the ducks the day before. The ducks have to be washed first. Spices like pepper, salt, star anise, cinnamon , ginger, spring onion and garlic are placed inside the duck and the cavity sealed with pins. The duck is then coated with vinegar and malt sugar and hang out to dry. These ducks will be roasted until their skins are slightly crispy and there is an aroma coming out from them (usually about 45 mins to an hour depending on the heat of the furnace). This is where the skill and experience of the hawkers will determine the taste of the roast duck because it is quite difficult to determine whether the roast duck is roasted to perfection by the naked eye.
Some hawkers will serve roast duck rice with gravy. To accentuate the taste of the roast duck, most of the time the gravy is a bit sweet sour and most likely sour plum is one of the ingredients for making the sweet sour gravy. Some hawkers offer sour plum sauce as separate from the gravy.
The braised duck is another Singapore delicacy. The broth that is used to cook the duck is important here. Spices like cinnamon are definitely placed in the broth, together with the bones of braised ducks. These bones give the broth added sweetness. The ducks are then placed in the broth for cooking. The ducks will be cooked until it is able to absorb the full flavor of the broth and the broth is able to finds its way to every part of the duck. Again, the taste of the Singapore braised duck would be determined by the skill and experience of the hawker since it is difficult to determine by the naked eye whether the braised duck has absorb the full flavor.
The broth that is used to cook the duck is never poured away. Because with the continual cooking of the ducks with the broth, the broth has absorbed the sweetness of the duck fats and because spices are continually added, the broth will be better flavored with every cooking of the duck.
You can also order the duck rice to come with braised eggs and braised tau kua (hard beancurd). In Singapore, the best braised duck rice is served with yam rice (brown in color) with pieces of yam and dried shrimps in it. Please note that you may need to pay extra, if you want it to be served with yam rice instead of plain rice.
It is strongly recommended that you do not eat braised duck rice with chilli unless the chilli has fried dried shrimps added in.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs
To make the roast duck rice, the hawker has to prepare the ducks the day before. The ducks have to be washed first. Spices like pepper, salt, star anise, cinnamon , ginger, spring onion and garlic are placed inside the duck and the cavity sealed with pins. The duck is then coated with vinegar and malt sugar and hang out to dry. These ducks will be roasted until their skins are slightly crispy and there is an aroma coming out from them (usually about 45 mins to an hour depending on the heat of the furnace). This is where the skill and experience of the hawkers will determine the taste of the roast duck because it is quite difficult to determine whether the roast duck is roasted to perfection by the naked eye.
Some hawkers will serve roast duck rice with gravy. To accentuate the taste of the roast duck, most of the time the gravy is a bit sweet sour and most likely sour plum is one of the ingredients for making the sweet sour gravy. Some hawkers offer sour plum sauce as separate from the gravy.
The braised duck is another Singapore delicacy. The broth that is used to cook the duck is important here. Spices like cinnamon are definitely placed in the broth, together with the bones of braised ducks. These bones give the broth added sweetness. The ducks are then placed in the broth for cooking. The ducks will be cooked until it is able to absorb the full flavor of the broth and the broth is able to finds its way to every part of the duck. Again, the taste of the Singapore braised duck would be determined by the skill and experience of the hawker since it is difficult to determine by the naked eye whether the braised duck has absorb the full flavor.
The broth that is used to cook the duck is never poured away. Because with the continual cooking of the ducks with the broth, the broth has absorbed the sweetness of the duck fats and because spices are continually added, the broth will be better flavored with every cooking of the duck.
You can also order the duck rice to come with braised eggs and braised tau kua (hard beancurd). In Singapore, the best braised duck rice is served with yam rice (brown in color) with pieces of yam and dried shrimps in it. Please note that you may need to pay extra, if you want it to be served with yam rice instead of plain rice.
It is strongly recommended that you do not eat braised duck rice with chilli unless the chilli has fried dried shrimps added in.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs