Destination
Phuket
The story
Khao na bpet is Bangkok's Chinese-Thai roast duck rice — sliced Cantonese-style roast duck (with the shatter-crisp skin and rich fatty meat) laid over jasmine rice with a rich soy-star-anise-and-cinnamon-spiced gravy, plus blanched Chinese greens (choy sum), a soy-braised egg and a scatter of fried garlic. The duck is bought pre-roasted from a Bangkok Chinatown roast shop (Yaowarat Road has dozens hanging in the windows), then the gravy is made from the duck's roasting juices thickened with dark soy, five-spice and cornstarch. Sold at every Chinatown takeaway counter — Chao Le, Nay Mong, and countless others — and every Thai-Chinese neighbourhood diner. The classical Sunday-family takeaway lunch.
Method
Warm oil in a saucepan. Cook garlic and ginger 60 seconds. Add stock, dark soy, light soy, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, star anise, cinnamon, five-spice, pepper and sugar. Simmer 10 minutes to marry.
Whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Cook 60 seconds until thickened to a heavy pourable gravy that coats a spoon.
Add hard-boiled peeled eggs to the warm gravy. Simmer 15 minutes, turning occasionally, so they colour and absorb flavour.
Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch Chinese greens 90 seconds until just wilted. Drain.
If the duck has cooled, warm it briefly in a 180C oven for 5 minutes to crisp the skin (do not overheat, or it dries out).
Chop the roast duck into serving pieces with a heavy cleaver, Cantonese-style through the bone.
Divide warm jasmine rice between 4 shallow bowls. Arrange chopped duck pieces on top. Ladle gravy generously over. Add a soy egg and a portion of blanched greens on the side.
Scatter with fried garlic, spring onion and coriander. Serve immediately with a small dish of chili paste on the side. Best within 15 minutes of assembly — the duck skin softens over time.
Tips
- Buy the duck. Cantonese roast duck is a 24-hour prep from scratch. Every Thai/Chinese city has a Chinatown with roast shops; buy a whole duck or half.
- Thick gravy. The cornstarch slurry gives the classical Thai-Chinese thick pourable gravy. Do not skip the thickening.
- Warm the duck briefly. Just a 5-minute oven warm to crisp the skin. Longer and it dries out.
- Chop through the bone. Cantonese-style. A heavy cleaver on a wooden board is the tool.
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