Peking Duck Stir-Fry

• Recipe by Ken Hom

Ken Hom is the authority on Chinese stir-frying—he's written four books on the subject. So when Hom replaced chicken with meatier, richer duck breasts in a stir-fry, we knew it would be a good idea: The duck has enough flavor to stand up to the mix of chiles, garlic and peanuts here.

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine or dry sherry
3. 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
4. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
5. Salt
6. Four skinless, boneless Pekin duck breasts (6 ounces each), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
7. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8. 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
9. 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
10. 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
11. 1 red chile, seeded and thinly sliced
12. 2 teaspoons sugar
13. 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
14. 1/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts
15. 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce with the wine, sesame oil, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Add the duck and turn to coat. Let the duck marinate for 10 minutes.
2. In a large skillet or a wok, heat the oil. Add the duck; reserve any excess marinade. Cook over high heat until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the garlic, shallot, jalapeño and chile to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the reserved marinade, the sugar and the stock and stir-fry, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Return the duck to the skillet and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts. Transfer to plates, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.