Braised duck with onions

It's not often that we see fresh duck in the market - it must be spring somewhere!  A fresh duck is so much less work than a frozen one as the defrosting process could be quite time-consuming.  So when I saw a fresh one, and knowing I'll have time on the weekend to babysit it, I grabbed the opportunity. When buying ducks, look for a long, lean body rather than a wide one, as the lean bodies are usually less fatty - makes perfect sense when you consider the human example.

I used my mother's recipe - a basic, easy to do one that works hundred percent of the time. Marinate the duck with soy sauce, pepper, wine and dark soy on the skin for an hour or so. Quarter 3 medium onions or 6 small ones (if you have a big enough wok). Brown the onions first in oil, remove from pan then brown the duck on all four sides until golden brown. Remove any excess oil that has been rendered. Today's duck is not fatty at all and there was very little fat left in the pan.

Arrange the duck and the onions in the wok, add enough chicken or duck broth to cover half the duck, add rose wine, ginger, pepper and garlic.

Simmer for about half an hour, turning duck over at mid point. Remove onions and continue to braise duck for another half or so, turning, and checking to make sure it doesn't get too soft. Check this by poking a chopstick through the duck to see if it goes through easily.  Stop the cooking when there is just enough "give".  Cut up duck and serve in a deep dish so the sauce can be poured over it.