This Chinese Duck Salad is a great lunch salad or supper starter. It is very refreshing with julienned mango, carrot, celery and peppers.
I had roasted a whole duck and reserved the leg meat. You could use shredded chicken with lots of dark meat if duck seems too tough to source.
It is the sesame oil and soya sauce that gives this the Chinese aspect. Serve some red pepper flakes on the side to add a bit of heat.
If the duck salad is part of a lunch course you might want to also serve this Bombay Pasta Salad. The julienned vegetables from the duck salad make a nice garnish for this salad too and the hint of curry in the pasta salad goes well with the Chinese Duck Salad.
My girlfriend made this for a cottage lunch one summer day. I was helping with the julienned vegetables. I wasn't getting them fine enough without my mandolin.... so she recut them after I was done! All this to say... you want the julienne to be fine so use a mandolin. Otherwise the salad looks and feels coarse.
If you are cooking you own duck be sure to reserve the duck fat. You can freeze it and keep it a long time. Duck fat is one of the best fats to crisp potatoes and other vegetables in. Freeze it in small amounts about the size of an ice cube.
You can make these Roast Potatoes and Carrots with the duck fat.
Wine Pairing
Pinot Noir is a classic pairing with duck. A spicy syrah on the lighter side would work as well. If you are a white fan look for a spicy white with a bit of body like a Chenin Blanc or Viognier. An aromatic Pinot Gris would work as well.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey
- 4 Tbsps soya sauce
Salad
- 4 duck legs cooked and shredded or substitute 8 oz shredded chicken dark meat
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 carrot peeled and trimmed
- 1 sweet red pepper
- ¼ red onion finely sliced vertically
- 1 mango
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Finely julienne the vegetables. I used a mandolin to get a really fine julienne on the carrots.
- Toss the shredded meat with ¾ of the dressing. Mound ¼ of the carrot, celery, red pepper and mango on a plate. Top with the meat. Garnish with the red onion and drizzle extra dressing around the edge of the vegtables.
- Serve with the red pepper flakes on the side for those that want a bit of heat.
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