Young Ginger and Sour Plum Braised Duck

Why people make this dish

Young ginger (zi jiang) comes into season once a year, and every year Nourilo makes a batch of pickled young ginger to keep in the fridge — sliced thin and preserved in a sweet-sour brine, it works as an appetite-opening pre-meal nibble or as a flavour accent in cooking. This particular dish, braised duck stuffed with pickled ginger and sour plums, is more involved than an everyday weeknight dinner, but the payoff is generous: one whole duck stretches across two or three meals, and the sweet-tart-savory braising sauce transforms into a gloriously sticky glaze. In traditional food therapy, young ginger, sour plum and duck together are considered a warming, digestive-supporting combination.