1 teaspoon Scotch bonnet pepper puree or siracha pepper
10 drops red food coloring
12 to 15 steamed buns (recipe included)
Sweet black bean sauce or hoisin sauce, cucumber slices, scallions, plus drippings from pan for drizzling
Directions
PREPARE THE CHICKEN OR DUCK
In a very cool room, fold duck or chicken wings behind themselves.
In a cool room, hang duck from kitchen twine over a large bowl overnight, about 8 hours; or place duck/chicken upright on top of a jar wrapped in foil, with a pan underneath to catch liquids in a refrigerator.
Fill a large pot with 3 1/2 cups water, add the rest of the glaze ingredients and whisk well to incorporate.
Cover and bring to a boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until well combined.
Whisk cornstarch mixture into boiling water mixture until it is the consistency of a gravy.
Remove sauce from heat.
Add duck/chicken to pot and spoon over sauce, for 3 to 5 minutes, until very well coated.
Remove from sauce and hang duck again; or place bird on top of the jar, and ladle the glaze over the meat until evenly coated.
Allow glaze to set/dry In a cool room, or refrigerator for 5 hours or until first coat of glaze has set.
With a ladle drizzle glaze over bird again so that you coat it evenly.
Allow to dry again for 5 hours or until second coat has set. If desired, glaze again for the third time and repeat drying step so that the bird dries for at least 2 days in the refrigerator.
COOK THE CHICKEN OR DUCK
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of your roasting pan.
Place duck on vertical roaster, or place the bird on top of the jar, upright, with a pan underneath into oven.
Roast until duck is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (but not touching the bone) reaches 175 degrees.
After the first 1 1/2 hour, increase the temperature to 375 degrees.
NOTE: Your total roasting time will be about 2 1/2 hours.
Before carving allow bird to rest/cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare steamed rolls according as directed. Quarter white parts of remaining scallions and cut into 2-inch pieces, slice cucumbers.
Thinly slice duck and serve with steamed rolls, scallions, cucumber, and sweet bean or hoisin sauce, and a drizzle of the pan drippings.
PREPARE THE STEAM BUNS
Mix together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 cup warm water.
Allow to stand for 30 minutes.
Mix in 1/2 cup warm water, flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vegetable oil.
Knead until dough surface is smooth and elastic.
Roll over in a greased bowl, and let stand until triple in size, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Punch down dough, and spread out on a floured board. Divide dough into 2 parts, and place the piece you are not working with in a covered bowl.
Divide each half into 12 parts.
Shape each part into a ball with smooth surface up.
Put each ball on a wax paper square.
Let stand covered until double, about 30 minutes.
Bring water to a boil in pot with ginger and star anise. reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling.
Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the pot.
Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns.
At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok.
Cover pot with lid.
Steam buns over boiling water for 15 minutes.
REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces.
Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.
