Auntie Yuan Duck Salad
Submitted by nissyta
Auntie Yuan duck salad slivers honey-roasted duck and crispy skin over puffed mai fun noodles, shredded lettuce, scallions, and cilantro. Drizzled with garlic-soy-rice vinegar dressing for a Chinese-American restaurant classic.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minAuntie Yuan duck salad is the kind of plated cold appetizer that anchored New York’s most beloved Chinese-American restaurants in the 1980s and 90s. Honey-glazed roast duck, crispy puffed rice noodles, shredded lettuce, and a tangy soy-rice-vinegar dressing all come together into a textural masterclass: crispy, soft, juicy, fresh, sweet, salty, all in one forkful.
The duck gets honey-and-rice-vinegar glaze brushed on while roasting, which gives the skin its signature lacquered look and bittersweet flavor. Szechuan peppercorns inside the cavity perfume the meat with their characteristic numbing tingle. Fresh black pepper would taste flat by comparison.
The mai fun (thin rice noodles, sometimes called rice vermicelli) puff dramatically when dropped into 450°F (230°C) oil, expanding to many times their original size in seconds. This is the most theatrical and impressive part of the dish, and easier than it looks. The noodles transform from stiff translucent strands into pure white airy clouds in moments.
Using only a portion of the duck (1 cup of slivered meat and skin from a 5-pound bird) is intentional. This is a salad, not the main; you want a few impactful slivers per plate, not a pile. Save the rest for sandwiches, fried rice, or duck congee.
Pro Tips
- Get the oil to a true 450°F (230°C) before adding the noodles. Cooler oil makes the noodles greasy and limp instead of light and puffed.
- Add the mai fun in small clumps. Crowded noodles puff unevenly and stick together.
- Slice the cooled duck on a sharp angle for the longest, most elegant slivers. Hot duck shreds; cool duck cuts cleanly.
- Plate just before serving. Fried rice noodles soften within 15 minutes of contact with the dressing.
- Pass extra dressing at the table. Some diners want more, some are happy with the drizzle; leaving the choice with each person is the right hospitality move.
Variations
- Substitute leftover roasted chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken for the duck for a quicker version.
- Add 1 cup julienned napa cabbage or shredded carrot for more crunch.
- Toss in mango or papaya batons for a sweet tropical contrast against the rich duck.
Ingredients
Directions
For Roast Duck
Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Rub some soy sauce, salt and pepper into the cavity of the duck and place the duck on a rack in the roasting pan. Stir together the honey and the vinegar and brush some over the duck. Roast the duck until crisp and golden, about 1 hour, occasionally brushing with honey-vinegar mixture. Cool.
With a sharp knife, remove the skin from each side of the breast and cut into thin slivers. Remove the meat from each side of the breast and cut it into thin slivers. Combine the slivers of skin and the slivers of duck, reserve 1 cup. The remainder of the duck can be saved for another use.
For Dressing
In a small bowl, blend together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
In a wok or wide casserole, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil over high heat to 450℉ (230℃) F. Carefully, add mai fun noodles, in a few seconds they will puff. Turn carefully with a skimmer and cook the other side. Remove the noodles and drain on paper towels.
Break up the noodles and arrange them on 4 chilled serving plates. Scatter shredded lettuce over the noodles and top with the reserved duck. Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Stir dressing and drizzle a small amount over each salad. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve, passing remaining dressing separately.
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