Dishes
duck casserole
砂鍋鴨
Also called: 沙鍋鴨 · claypot duck
A whole duck simmered for hours with napa cabbage, dried flatfish and garlic, an old Tainan banquet dish served in its pot.
What it is
A banquet casserole of a whole young duck braised with napa cabbage in pork-bone broth, with mushrooms, quail eggs and tofu added later. The duck turns tender enough to fall off the bone, and the cabbage and tofu soak up a sweet, savoury broth.
Where it comes from
It is one of the old banquet dishes kept by Tainan's long-running Taiwanese restaurants. A-Mei has served classic banquet food for about 60 years, and The News Lens reports that Hsin Hsin's chef brought claypot duck back to his menu.
How it is made
The duck is quickly deep-fried to crisp the skin and seal in its juices. It then goes into the pot with cabbage, pork-bone broth, dried flatfish, garlic and fried shallots and is simmered over charcoal for about three hours.
How to eat it
Drink the broth first while it is hot, then eat the tofu and cabbage, then the duck. It is a dish for a group, and popular versions sell out, so book ahead.
In Tainan
At A-Mei (阿美飯店) it is cooked the traditional way, in a cast-iron pot on a charcoal stove. The family says a gas burner cannot give the same aroma. Dine-in pots are now cast iron because clay pots kept breaking.
Where to eat it in Tainan
Sources