Chiu Chow Marinated Goose

For the lushui (stock)

1.5kg pork belly (if making new lushui)

19g Sichuan pepper

10 pieces star anise

75g cinnamon/cassia sticks

300ml light soy sauce

75ml dark soy sauce

300g crystal/rock sugar

8 slices galangal

150g leeks

150g garlic

75ml Kaoliang liquor/baijiu

6L water

Preparation

The whole process takes around 1.5 hours. After cleaning the goose, hang it up to dry. Wash the pork belly (if you're making new lushui), Sichuan pepper, star anise, cinnamon/cassia sticks, galangal, leeks and garlic. Chop the leeks into small pieces of approximately 5 inches. Lightly smash the galangal. Heat a little bit of oil in a wok. Put the aforementioned ingredients in, and fry them for a bit. After that, add the water, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.

Bring the stock to a boil, then pour it into a stock pot. Boil on low heat for 30 minutes to retain its quality; high heat will make the sauce overly concentrated and it will be too salty.

Add the meat (goose, duck, or pork) that you'd like to marinate into the stock. If you're using a smaller pot at home, chop the goose or duck into smaller pieces (i.e. divide it into 4 portions). Marinate it for around 1 hour. During the early stages, lift the goose up from the sauce from time to time to make sure each part is evenly and completely marinated.

Before the marinating is complete, add the Kaoliang liquor/baijiu and the crystal/rock sugar into the stock.

Tip: Marinate the pork belly (1.5kg) if you're starting a brand-new lushui (stock). This way, the fat and meat flavour enriches the stock. The same lushui can be re-boiled for repeat use – and you don't need to add water into the lushui if you reuse it.