**The Art of Wok Seasoning: Unlocking the Secret to Nonstick Perfection**

When it comes to cooking with a wok, many people assume that seasoning is a one-time job. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, seasoning a wok is an ongoing process that requires regular maintenance to maintain its nonstick properties. A good understanding of wok seasoning can make all the difference in achieving perfectly cooked dishes every time.

**The Science Behind Wok Seasoning**

Wok seasoning works by creating a layer of polymerized oil on the surface of the wok, which is achieved through heat and oil application. When you cook with the wok, you strip away some of this seasoning, especially when cooking liquid or acidic foods. To combat this, it's essential to understand that seasoning is not just about applying a layer of oil, but also about maintaining the right environment for it to develop.

To speed up the seasoning process, it's recommended to cook with the wok as much as possible. This will help build up the seasoning over time, making your wok more nonstick and reliable. In fact, some experts believe that a well-seasoned wok can last for years with proper care.

**My Favorite Wok Brand**

As a seasoned chef (pun intended), I have had my fair share of woks in the past. And let me tell you, there's one brand that stands out from the rest - my own brand! It's incredibly reliable and has been a game-changer for my cooking adventures. The link to my wok is in the description below, so be sure to check it out.

**The Story Behind My Favorite Duck Recipe**

Now, let's talk about the star of our show today: my favorite duck recipe. You might be wondering why there are two ducks - well, it took a while for me to dehydrate them, and I ended up coming back to film the next day! But that extra duck turned out to be a bonus, as it allowed me to share more details about the braising process.

The secret to tenderizing the duck lies in the slow cooking process. By using low heat and plenty of liquid, we can break down the connective tissues and make the meat incredibly juicy and flavorful. The result is a dish that's both savory and aromatic, with a crispy exterior that gives way to tender meat.

**Dehydrating the Duck: A Matter of Patience**

One of the most critical steps in making this duck recipe is dehydrating it. This process requires patience, as the duck needs to be left to dry for 6-8 hours (depending on the size). However, trust me when I say that it's worth every second!

The neck, in particular, needs to be removed from the oven after a shorter period of time - around 4-5 hours. This ensures that the meat stays tender and juicy, without becoming dry or tough.

**A Close Look at the Finished Duck**

When I finally took my duck out of the oven, it was nothing short of breathtaking. The skin had developed a beautiful crispy texture, while the meat inside remained tender and flavorful. The bones poking out from the center were a testament to the effective braising process.

The color of the duck had darkened significantly, resulting in an intense flavor that's sure to impress even the most discerning palates. And despite its dry exterior, the duck was surprisingly juicy and packed with aroma - a true culinary delight!

**Conclusion: A Recipe Worth Trying**

If you're looking for a unique Chinese recipe that will take your cooking to the next level, look no further! My favorite duck recipe is a masterclass in slow cooking and patience, but trust me when I say it's worth every second.

As always, don't forget to hit that like button and leave a comment below if you have any suggestions for future recipes. And if you want more local Chinese recipes that are not well-known in the Western world, I'm all ears!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHi, everyone, welcome to Souped Up Recipes. I'm Mandy. Today we're making Jiang Ban Ya. It's a complicated duck recipe that includes four different cooking methods:  salting, roasting, braising, and dehydrating. I have no idea how to name this dish in English  because there is nothing similar in western cuisine. This is a specialty from Hunan province  where my grandparents live. Every time we visit them Jiang Ban Ya is always the start at the  dinner table. The taste, the texture, and the fragrance are phenomenal. The funny thing is my  grandparents don't have the recipe because they just got it pre-made from the specialty store.  I didn't know how to make it either. Ever since I left China I craved this duck so much. I attempted  many many times and I almost thought that I could not recreate the flavor. Finally, I got it right  and I cannot wait to share it with you.I bought this duck from an Asian market.  It was previously frozen. Once it is defrosted it has lots of liquid. I like to rinse it  thoroughly in the sink. If you cannot find a duck, you can use chicken leg to make this recipe.  Do not use chicken breast because it will turn out stringy and chewy at the end.  Use a pair of scissors to cut open the cavity. Slightly off the center in  between both of the breasts. Once the duck is opened up. You can clean up the inside. Trim off any unwanted parts such as the connective tissues, the huge piece of the neck skin,  the butt, and some duck fat. I like to deal with the whole poultry in the sink.  So I don't get water splatters everywhere. If you are worried about cross-contamination.  You can spray some Dettol after to disinfect the sink. Give a final rinse. Oh, this duck came with  a long piece of neck. You can discard it if you want. But it is my favorite part I definitely will  keep that. Alright, the duck is nice and clean now. Use paper towels to absorb the moisture. Next, we're going to flatten it, place it skin side up, press it down firmly,  try to break up the thigh, ribs, and cartilage. You should be able to hear some cracking sounds.  That looks good. We will coat the duck with some coarse sea salt. The amount should be five percent  of the total duck weight. This guy is about two kilograms after I trim off all the unwanted parts.  So, I'm using 100 grams of salt. Don't worry that it will be too salty because it is coarse  salt. It doesn't dissolve easily. Some of the salt will fall off. Tomorrow we'll rinse off the salt  as well. The name of this dish is called Jiang Ban Ya. Ban means using a flat board to flatten the  duck. Let's cover it with a cutting board. Weigh it down with a huge pot that is filled with water.  The salt and the pressure here is to help to press the moisture out of the duck.  Later on when we braise it. It will absorb the flavor from the brine.  This needs to sit in the fridge for 12 hours.I got another duck that I salted yesterday.  Let me show you. You can see a bit of liquid at the bottom of the tray which is the purpose  of salting and pressing the duck. Discard that liquid, and put the duck in the sink on top of  a rack. Skin side up, and pour some hot water to rinse the duck thoroughly. Make sure you rinse the  cavity side as well. This will shrink up the skin and make it really smooth. Also, it will wash off  all the salt so the duck will not be too salty use more paper towels to absorb the moisture. Wrap a baking pan with tin foil. Place the duck on top of it. Now, we're gonna preheat  the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oven is almost done preheating. We're  going to heat up a heavy-duty cast-iron skillet until it is smoking hot. Flip the skillet over  and apply a thin layer of oil at the bottom.  If your skillet is well seasoned and taken care of. The bottom should not be dirty.  Stick the duck into the oven and quickly place the hot heavy skillet right on the top. I love to hear  that nice sizzling sound. Bake this for just 30 minutes. While the duck is roasting in the oven,  we can prepare the brine to create a complex fragrance. We will need to gather some spices: 2 slices of dried sand ginger;1 star anise; 1 small cinnamon stick;2 bay leaves; 2 white cardamoms; (If you don't have it. You can use 2 green cardamoms  or half of a black cardamom.)1 gardenia fruit pot; (This is optional but it adds a bright orange color which I really like.) 2 cloves;1 tsp of white pepper; 1 tsp of fennel seeds;3 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns; 1/2 cup of red dried chilies; (be careful with the amount of  Sichuan peppercorn and red dried chilies. Please adjust them based on your preference.  In a large wok, drizzle in a cop tbsp of oil, tossing all the spices.) Some ginger slices;5 cloves of garlic; 2 scallions;1 tsp of Sichuan Dou banjiang. (Stir over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes or until fragrant.  Pour in 6 cups of purified water. bring this to a boil.) add 5 tbsp of soy sauce, and 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce for the color.  I know it looks like we used a lot of soy sauce but it is diluted by a lot of water as well.  So the final duck is not going to be too salty.A 1/4 cup of Chinese cooking wine; 5 tbsp of rock sugar to balance all the tanginess. If you don't have rock sugar you can also use 4 tbsp of granulated sugar. Normally,  we'll add more salt to this brine but the duck is salted. So we don't need to add additional salt.  Let this simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. During this time, you can take the duck out of the oven.  The cast-iron skillet here is to help to press the oil out of the duck while baking.  As you can see, there is some grease formed in the baking pan. If you don't have a cast-iron  skillet. You can wrap a heavy-duty bread cap with tinfoil. Preheat it until nice and hot,  then place it on top of the duck.Transfer this duck into the wok. Actually,  it's too big. I'm just gonna quickly cut the duck in half, When I tested this recipe,  I always work with half of a duck. So this is a little bit unexpected. Put it back into the wok.  The liquid is still not enough to cover all the ingredients. That is completely fine because I  will put something on top of it to weigh it down. This needs to be simmered on low heat  for 1 hour. What I will do is come back every 15 minutes to give it a flip to ensure even cooking.  Another note here, if you have a big stainless steel pot try to use that to do the braising  instead of using the wok. Because high salt solution will strip away the seasoning that  you have been building onto the wok. I don't have anything that's wider than this. Another reason I  am using it is that I want to show you how to restore the wok after you used it to braise some  high salt solution. We'll do that later. Since we got plenty of time to wait I want to give  you a little bit more information about the brine that we made to brace the duck. We call it Lushui.  It is the starter of Chinese master brine. If you know how to take care of it you can reuse it  forever. Every time you reuse it the braised meat or other ingredients will infuse their own flavor  back into the stock. So, the Lushui can continue to accumulate and create a richer more complex  flavor. Many Chinese restaurants treasure their Lushui as an heirloom. It's so valuable because  it is loaded with layers of flavors after decades of using it. They literally  pass it down from generation to generation. It's a lot of information to talk about in one video.  If you're interested in developing your own Lushui here is the demo video you can check it out later. Alright, this is one hour later the whole house is filled with fragrance. It smells amazing.  You can see the duck is almost falling off bone tender. However, we're not done yet. We have to  transfer this duck back onto the baking rack. Skin side up, stick it into the oven again.  Set the temperature at the lowest possible. My oven can only go down to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let it dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours. The time may vary depending on your oven's minimum temperature. While the duck is dehydrating I'm going to show you how to restore the wok after we used it to  braise the high salt content liquid. Because a lot of you have been asking me this question.  It's actually very easy to fix. I already poured out the brine and stored it for the next use. If  you want to know the detail you can check the demo video of Chinese master brine. Simply wash the wok  with warm water without soap. Use a soft sponge to rub around to remove any stubborn residue,  and rinse it thoroughly. Put it back on the stove, and wipe off the moisture with paper towels first.  Then turn the heat back on medium and heat it for 20 to 30 seconds to evaporate  the micro moisture. The wok lost its shine. It doesn't look smooth anymore.  Kind of like a matte texture that is caused by simmering liquid for a long time. Don't worry,  just drizzle a couple of drops of cooking oil, and rub it with a paper towel all over the wok.  That's it. So easy. This instruction is actually the most basic carbon steel wok maintenance. You  should do this after every time you use the wok. I've cooked with this wok for 4 years now and it  is well taken care of. So it recovers immediately after I apply the thin layer of oil. I can use it  right away and it'll be nonstick. But if your wok is new. It may take a few more times of cooking  and maintenance for it to recover and become nonstick again. A lot of people don't know that.  Seasoning the wok is not a one-time job. When you cook with the wok you always strip away some of  the seasonings. Especially, when you are cooking liquid or acidic food. The oil and the heat  are what build the seasoning. So if you are cooking with oil or you apply a thin layer  of oil after you washed and dried the wok. You're basically helping with the seasoning development.  This is a process that should keep going on forever. Eventually, your wok will turn into a  dark color it becomes really smooth and nonstick. It does take some time to build up the seasoning.  About half of a year or it could take a couple of years if you don't use it often. I do recommend  you to cook with the wok as much as you can to speed up the evolution of the seasoning. Trust me,  you will be surprised by its performance. If you don't have a wok yet. Consider buying this one,  it's my own brand and it is incredibly reliable. I use it in almost every single one of my videos.  Food always comes out amazing. The link is in the description. Go check it out. All right, let's take a look at the duck. I know you're probably thinking why are there two ducks.  I thought you only made one. Well, it takes a while to dehydrate. So we actually came back  to pick up the filming the next day. Since I already salted an extra duck in the fridge.  So I just took some time last night to roast, braised and dehydrated that one as well.  This time I doubled the brine. So I was able to brace the duck whole. You know in our culture  we like to keep things whole for good luck purposes. You don't have to though.  Another note here is that the duck needs 6 to 8 hours of dehydrating. But  the neck only needs 4 to 5 hours. So you have to take the neck out of the oven earlier.  Well, I already ate mine. So I can't show you what they look like anymore. However, the main part is the duck. This is what they look like. The bones are poking out. That's  a good sign because we braised it really tender. After the dehydration, the meat would shrink and  the bones would just poke out like that naturally. The color is much darker, and the size is smaller.  That means the flavor is really concentrated. The skin feels kind of crispy. I know you are probably  thinking that the duck must be extremely dry after such a long time of dehydration.  No no no it is surprisingly juicy and tender inside. Look at that.  I know it's hard to believe but it's so good. The outside is dry but in a pleasant way. It's not  the chewy stringy type of dry. It's the crispy kind of dry. The meat that is close to the skin  side is a bit like a jerky texture. The low and slow dehydration really concentrates the flavor.  The duck is extremely savory and packed with aroma. This is by far my favorite duck recipe.  I know it's complicated to make and I spent 30 hours on it. But it is worth every second. I hope you give this a try soon. As always you can click the link in the description and find  the printable recipe. Don't forget to hit the like button. If you want me to share  more local Chinese recipes that are not well known in the western world. You can leave a  comment below to encourage me. All right thank you for watching and I'll see you next time.bye!\n"