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Soy braised duck legs resting on a bed of rice and sauce

Soy-Braised Duck Legs with Ginger and Scallions Instant Pot Recipe

Soy-braised duck legs with ginger and scallion that's pressure cooked in an Instant Pot is a quick and easy adaptation of a special dish, Luo Shui Ya. Luo shui ya is a whole duck braised in a master sauce with ginger and scallion that is worthy of a family gathering. My recipe uses duck legs that can be cooked in an Instant Pot with a fraction of the effort. This is a free recipe shared with permission from the publisher, Rockridge Press, from my new cookbook, Chinese Instant Pot Cookbook. Photo credit: Darren Muir

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword duck, duck legs, instant pot
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 4 duck legs thawed, if frozen
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (1-inch) fresh ginger thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine
  • 3 scallions trimmed and halved
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoons light soy sauce (thin soy sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • cooked rice for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Use scissors to trim off any excess duck fat and skin and reserve. Pat the duck legs dry with paper towels and sprinkle the meat side with the salt.

  2. On the Instant Pot, select Saute and adjust the heat to high. Add the duck fat and duck skin pieces, they should sizzle within a minute. Stir frequently until they render enough fat to cover the bottom of the pan and the control panel indicates Hot.

  3. Place 2 duck legs in the pot, skin-side down, and sear for 3 minutes. Flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes. Remove and repeat with the remaining 2 duck legs.

  4. Select Cancel. Remove the duck lets and pour the excess duck fat into a small storage container or jar to reserve for other uses.

  5. Place the liner back into the base. Add the ginger and pour in the wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

  6. Add the scallions and place the duck legs on top. Pour in the dark and light soy sauces, sugar, and water.

  7. Lock the lid. Program to pressure cook for 20 minutes on high pressure.

  8. When the timer sounds, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure Serve as is, or with rice.