Chaozhou Braised Goose

Ingredients

• 1 goose, about 3.5kg, or a 2.5kg duck
• 80g fresh galangal, sliced thickly
• 60g ginger, sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, bruised
• 4 coriander roots
• 6 star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 cloves
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 pieces dried tangerine peel
• 150g rock sugar
• 250ml light soy sauce
• 80ml dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 150ml Shaoxing wine
• 3 litres water or light chicken stock
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 100ml white rice vinegar, to serve
• 3 tbsp finely grated garlic, to serve

Before you cook

• Pull the loose fat from inside the goose cavity and reserve it.
• Rinse the bird inside and out and pat it completely dry.
• Rub 2 tablespoons of the light soy sauce over the skin and leave the goose uncovered on a rack for 30 minutes.
• Slice the galangal and ginger and bruise the garlic.
• Tie the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves and tangerine peel into a square of muslin.
• Stir the grated garlic into the rice vinegar in a small bowl and leave it to sharpen.

Steps

1. Heat the groundnut oil with the reserved goose fat in a very large pot over medium heat until the fat renders out.
2. Fry the galangal, ginger, garlic and coriander roots for 4 minutes, until the galangal smells sharp and piney.
3. Add the rock sugar and stir for 3 minutes, until it melts and turns a light amber.
4. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and let it bubble for 1 minute.
5. Add the light soy, dark soy, fish sauce, the spice bag and the 3 litres of water or stock, and bring it all to a simmer.
6. Simmer the lou soup uncovered for 30 minutes to draw the spices out.
7. Lower the goose into the pot breast side down, adding a little more water if it is not almost submerged.
8. Bring the liquid back to the gentlest possible simmer, with only the occasional bubble breaking the surface.
9. Braise for 45 minutes, ladling the hot liquid over any exposed skin every 10 minutes.
10. Turn the goose over carefully using two wooden spoons and braise for a further 45 minutes.
11. Test the thigh with a skewer, which should meet no resistance at all.
12. Turn off the heat and let the goose stand in the liquid for 30 minutes to take on more colour.
13. Lift the goose onto a board and leave it to cool for 20 minutes so the meat firms up for slicing.
14. Skim the fat from the braising liquid and boil 300ml of it down by half to make a dipping sauce.
15. Carve the goose off the bone and slice the meat thickly across the grain.
16. Serve with the reduced lou sauce and the garlic vinegar, and strain and freeze the remaining master stock for next time.