If your festive table could do with a little quack of flair, this homemade smoked duck salad is a symphony of textures and flavours. Tender tea-smoked duck breast, a tribute to Cantonese preservation, meets a vibrant European palette of bitter greens and sweet dried fruits.

The true harmony lies in the vinaigrette, where the fiery kick of African peri-peri, a staple of Portuguese voyages, meets a nutty, rich walnut base. It is a culinary duet of East and West, setting the stage for the festive journey ahead.

Executive Sous Chef Tống Đăng Khoái from Movenpick Hotel Hanoi Centre

Ingredients:

For the smoked duck:

• 100g duck breast
• 10ml soy sauce
• 1g cinnamon powder
• 10g rice
• 5g dried tea leaves
• 1g Sichuan peppercorns
• 1g cinnamon stick
• 1g star anise
• 1g ground black pepper
• 2g dried shiitake mushrooms

For the spicy vinaigrette:

• 5ml Hong Kong red vinegar
• 5ml red wine vinegar
• 10ml sunflower oil
• 5g walnut halves
• 1g fresh thyme leaves
• 10ml peri peri sauce
• 2g minced garlic
• 2g salt
• 0.1g ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 20g romaine lettuce
• 10g red lettuce
• 10g frisée lettuce
• 5g kale
• 10g arugula (rocket)
• 5g mixed sprouts
• 10g dried apricots, sliced
• 20g snow peas
• 10g red onion, thinly sliced
• 10g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 soy-marinated soft-boiled egg
• 5g black olives
• 5g green olives
• 5g radish, thinly sliced
• 5g roasted bell pepper, deskinned and deseeded
• 5g tomato

smoked duck salad

Preparation:

Smoked duck

• Marinate the duck breast with soy sauce and cinnamon powder. Hang to air-dry for seven days.
• Cold-smoke the dried duck breast using a mixture of dry tea leaves, rice, Sichuan peppercorns, dried shiitake mushrooms, cinnamon stick and star anise until infused with flavour.
• Score the duck skin and pan-sear, skin-side down, until the skin is golden and crispy. Finish cooking in a preheated oven for about six minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Let it rest before slicing.

Peri peri sauce and vinaigrette

• In a blender, combine the sunflower oil, walnuts, garlic, salt and black pepper. Blend until the walnuts are finely ground.
• Add the thyme leaves and pulse a few times to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and whisk in the Hong Kong red vinegar and red wine vinegar.
• Finally, stir in the peri peri sauce until fully incorporated. Set aside.

Assemble the dish

• Wash all the salad greens thoroughly and drain them well. Tear the larger lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces.
• Blanch the snow peas in boiling water until tender-crisp, then refresh in ice water. Slice them on a diagonal or leave them whole.
• Peel the soy-marinated egg and dice it.
• Prepare the remaining vegetables: dice the roasted bell pepper and the fresh tomato (peeled and deseeded). Thinly slice the radish and red onion. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
• To serve, arrange all the prepared salad greens and vegetables harmoniously on a plate. Top with the sliced smoked duck.
• Drizzle the spiced sauce over the salad just before serving, or serve it on the side in a small bowl.

You can enjoy a collection of flavourful dishes at O Macanese Restaurant located within Movenpick Hotel Hanoi Centre, at 83A Lý Thường Kiệt Street, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội. For reservation, please dial +84 24 3822 2800. — VNS