Duck Udon Soup | Good Food

For the duck sauce

½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp hoi sin sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 x 175g/6 oz duck fillets, skin on

For the noodle soup base

1 litre/35fl oz chicken stock

2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 200ml hot water for 20 minutes

100g/4oz Chinese leaf, shredded
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp rice vinegar
200g/8oz flat udon noodles, cooked
3 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
40g/2oz bean sprouts
1 large handful coriander, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

step 1
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place all of the marinade ingredients into a shallow bowl and mix well to coat the duck. Marinate for as long as you can - preferably overnight, but anything more than 20 minutes will do.
step 2
Heat a dry frying pan until just warm. Place the duck skin-side down and cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.
step 3
Turn up the heat, turn over the duck and cook for a further minute until crisp.
step 4
Transfer to the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.
step 5
Remove from the oven and rest for five minutes, before slicing.
step 6
For the noodle soup, pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the shiitake mushrooms and their soaking liquid, and the Chinese leaf.
step 7
Add the light soy sauce, rice wine, rice vinegar and udon noodles to the pan. Bring to the boil.
step 8
Scatter over the chopped spring onions, bean sprouts and coriander. Season to taste.
step 9
To serve, ladle some of the noodle soup into a bowl, place the duck breast on top and serve straightaway.