I could not find any simple duck soup recipes online, so I came up with this recipe. It is a bit of a cross between Western-style soup and Chinese roast duck. You will need onions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and your choice of vegetables (I am using carrots and mushrooms). My favorite way to eat this is with udon noodles and a squeeze of hoisin sauce at the table.
Can't get enough of soups? Try my Chicken Meatball Soup next!
๐ฅ About This Recipe
My local grocery store always has whole frozen ducks for sale, and I will occasionally buy one. Usually, I make a Chinese-style roast duck, but this time, I wanted to try something different. I decided to make a soup, but there were no recipes online for it, so I came up with this one.
Even though it is a soup, I recommend to roast the duck first. This helps remove some of the excess fat and adds flavor to the skin. I air-dried my duck for 24 hours in the fridge to dry out the skin so it could get a better color in the oven. If you do not dry the skin, it will be much harder to get a brown color.
Another important step is to wash the duck after roasting. I found that there is a lot of scum and loose bits after roasting the duck. I just filled a pot of water and submerged the duck in it and then shook it a few times to release the scum. Then I drained the water.
๐ง Ingredients
- Whole Duck: You can probably guess we will need a whole duck for this recipe. You should let it air-dry in the fridge for 8-48 hours before roasting it.
- Vegetables: Today, I am using onions, carrots, and button mushrooms. This soup is very versatile so you can use any vegetables you like. You should always have onions in it though.
- Aromatics: I am borrowing flavors from Chinese-style Roast Duck by using ginger, star anise, and cinnamon.
- Seasonings: You will need soy sauce, salt, and a little bit of sugar to taste.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Place the duck on a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and add two cups of water to the pan to prevent the drippings from burning. Roast at 475โ on the middle rack for 60 minutes, flipping once, until the skin is lightly browned.
STEP 2: After roasting, submerge the duck in a large pot and water and use your hands to give it a good shake to get rid of scum and any loose bits. Drain.
Add 12 cups of water, along with onions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
STEP 3: Add the carrots and mushrooms and simmer for another 30 minutes.
STEP 4: At this point, the soup is ready to serve. I like to use a pair of tongs and break the duck into smaller pieces. Serve immediately with green onions sprinkled on top. You can serve it with freshly boiled noodles or rice for extra carbs.
๐ Recipe
Easy Whole Duck Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck (about 3 pounds, see notes)
- 1 medium onion (halved)
- 4 slices ginger
- 3 pieces star anise
- 1 piece cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon sugar
- 3 medium carrots (sliced into ยพ-inch chunks)
- 400 g mushrooms (halved)
- 1 green onion (for serving, sliced)
Instructions
- Optional: To guarantee brown skin while roasting, air-dry the duck in the fridge for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours. Simply place the duck on a wire rack on a pan and let it sit in the fridge uncovered.
- Place the duck on a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and add two cups of water to the pan to prevent the drippings from burning. Roast at 475โ on the middle rack for 60 minutes, flipping once, until the skin is lightly browned.
- After roasting, submerge the duck in a large pot and water and use your hands to give it a good shake to get rid of scum and any loose bits. Drain.
- Add 12 cups of water, along with onions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the carrots and mushrooms and simmer for another 30 minutes.
- At this point, the soup is ready to serve. I like to use a pair of tongs and break the duck into smaller pieces. Serve immediately with green onions sprinkled on top. You can serve it with freshly boiled noodles or rice for extra carbs.
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