Char Siu
Cantonese roast pork made in a home oven or air fryer, with a sticky, caramelised edge and no barbecue pit.
← Home · Sichuan smoked whole bird advanced
Camphor-Tea Smoked Duck
A whole young duck, cured, smoked over camphor leaves and jasmine tea, steamed until tender, then fried to crisp golden skin. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 樟茶鸭, report 8.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 樟茶鸭_8.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 5 hours (mostly marinating)Cook: 1 hourTotal: 6 hoursServings: 3–4Difficulty: AdvancedRegion: SichuanFlavour: Smoky, tea-fragrant, savoury
Why this works
Three separate techniques stack into one flavour, and none can be rushed. The long cure — salt, Sichuan pepper, wine, ginger and scallion rubbed inside and out for four to six hours — is what seasons the bird all the way to the bone and removes any gaminess. Smoking comes next, but only briefly: ten to fifteen minutes over camphor leaves, jasmine tea, sugar and rice is enough to lay a fragrant golden colour on the skin, and any longer turns the smoke bitter. Steaming then does the real cooking, gently, for forty to fifty minutes, until the meat nearly falls from the bone. The final fry is short and hot, purely for the skin. Done in this order, each step fixes what the last one left unfinished: cure for flavour, smoke for aroma, steam for tenderness, fry for crispness. Serve it sliced on a warm platter, with the sweet bean paste and fresh accompaniments alongside for contrast.
ADVERTISEMENT — PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young duck, cleaned (about 1.5 kg) | 3.3 lb | 1.5 kg | A whole duck; this is a whole-bird dish, not a parts dish. |
| Salt (cure) | 1 tbsp | 15 g | — |
| Sichuan peppercorns (cure) | 1 tsp | 5 g | — |
| Cooking wine (cure) | 4 tsp | 20 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Ginger slices (cure) | 0.35 oz | 10 g | — |
| Scallion segments (cure) | 0.35 oz | 10 g | — |
| Dried camphor leaves (smoking) | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Specialist ingredient — order from a Sichuan grocery or online; dried tea leaves alone give a different, milder smoke (adaptation). |
| Jasmine tea leaves (smoking) | 1 oz | 30 g | — |
| Sugar (smoking) | 4 tsp | 20 g | — |
| Rice (smoking) | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Uncooked rice, for the smoking mixture. |
| Light soy sauce, five-spice powder, fennel (seasoning) | 1 tsp each | 5 g each | Listed in the report's table; the report's step text does not say where they go — rub them in with the cure as the home adaptation used here. |
| Neutral oil for frying | 2 cups | 500 ml | Report quantity; strain and reuse for frying only. |
| Sweet bean paste, scallion shreds, cucumber sticks (to serve) | To taste | To taste | Optional accompaniments from the report. |
Equipment
- Large wok or pot with a tight-fitting lid and a steamer rack, for smoking
- Steamer (bamboo or metal) — no special smoker required (adaptation)
- Foil for lining the smoking pot
- Fan for drying the duck
- Thermometer
Steps
- Cure the duck. Clean the duck, remove the innards and feet, and rub salt, Sichuan pepper, cooking wine, ginger and scallion — plus the soy sauce, five-spice and fennel — inside and out. Refrigerate for 4–6 hours.
- Blanch and dry. Scald the cured duck in boiling water for 30 seconds to remove blood foam. Hang or set it to dry until the surface is completely dry, about 30 minutes with a fan.
- Smoke briefly. Line a wok or heavy pot with foil and spread the camphor leaves, jasmine tea, sugar and rice evenly. Set a rack over them, place the duck on it, and cover tightly. Smoke on medium-low heat for 10–15 minutes until the skin is pale gold and fragrant. Do not exceed 15 minutes or the smoke turns bitter. Work in a well-ventilated kitchen and keep the lid sealed — this step produces a lot of smoke (home safety note).
- Steam until tender. Transfer the duck to a steamer and steam on high heat for 40–50 minutes, until the meat separates easily from the bone and a chopstick passes through without resistance. The duck centre must reach at least 75 °C / 167 °F.
- Fry for crisp skin. Heat the oil to 180 °C. Pat the duck completely dry, then fry on medium heat for 3–5 minutes, turning once, until the skin is golden and crisp. Drain, rest for 2 minutes, then carve into strips and serve with sweet bean paste, scallion and cucumber if liked.
ADVERTISEMENT — PLACEHOLDER
Technique: smoke for colour, steam for tenderness
Beginners often try to cook the duck by smoking alone, which dries it out, or to get the smoke by frying, which never works. The report's split is deliberate: smoke is a surface treatment only, and steaming is what cooks the bird. If your pot lid does not seal well, seal the rim with a ring of damp dough or foil so the smoke stays in and the colour develops evenly.
Variations
- No camphor leaves: smoke with black tea leaves, sugar and rice alone; the aroma is milder and less camphorous but still fragrant (adaptation).
- Half duck: halve all cure and smoking quantities for a half duck and steam about 30 minutes (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I buy camphor leaves?
From a Sichuan grocery or an online Chinese grocery; they are sold dried. If unavailable, use the tea-only variation above.
Why is my duck bitter?
Almost always over-smoking: more than 15 minutes, or heat too high so the smoking mixture scorched.
Can I skip the final fry?
You can serve it steamed, but the skin will be soft, not crisp — the fry is what gives the dish its signature skin.
Storage and freezing
Best eaten the day it is made. Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated; re-crisp the skin in a hot oven until steaming hot throughout. The cured, smoked, steamed (unfried) duck freezes well for up to 1 month; fry from thawed.
Camphor-Tea Smoked Duck — Recipe Card
Whole duck cured, tea-smoked, steamed tender and fried crisp.
Prep: 5 hours (mostly marinating)Cook: 1 hourTotal: 6 hoursServings: 3–4
Ingredients: 1 young duck (1.5 kg); cure: 15 g salt, 5 g Sichuan pepper, 20 ml cooking wine, 10 g ginger, 10 g scallion, 5 g each soy sauce, five-spice, fennel; smoking: 50 g camphor leaves, 30 g jasmine tea, 20 g sugar, 50 g rice; 500 ml frying oil.
Steps: 1) Cure 4–6 hours. 2) Blanch 30 seconds and dry. 3) Smoke 10–15 minutes. 4) Steam 40–50 minutes. 5) Fry 180 °C 3–5 minutes, rest 2 minutes, carve.
ADVERTISEMENT — PLACEHOLDER
Related recipes
White Cut Chicken
Gently poached chicken, chilled for a firm, silky texture, served with a ginger-scallion dip.
Hong Shao Rou
Slow-braised pork belly with rock sugar, in an Instant Pot or on the stove, with a glossy, savoury-sweet sauce.
Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 樟茶鸭 (data/reports/8.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The placement of the soy sauce, five-spice and fennel, the ventilation warning and the serving size are adaptations and are labelled as such. Original poster image: clouchef.com (樟茶鸭_8.jpeg).