Chef Jeong-sun
Al-tang (Fish Roe Stew)
A weeknight fish roe stew with radish and crown daisy in a clean spicy broth, where the whole success depends on adding the roe late enough that it sets tender, not chalky.
Culinary Explorer
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Ori-baeksuk (Whole Boiled Duck Soup)
Created by
A whole duck simmered until tender with garlic, sweet rice, jujubes, ginseng, and mountain herbs; richer than samgyetang, but handled carefully so the broth stays clean.
Soups & Stews
Korean
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
35 min
Active Time
2 hr 15 min cook•4 hr 50 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
Ori-baeksuk lives or dies by the boil. A hard boil makes the duck tight and the broth cloudy with grease. A quiet simmer loosens the meat from the bone and lets the garlic, jujube, ginseng, and mountain herbs do their work without shouting over the bird.
People call this a tonic soup, and that is true enough, but don't let the word make you careless. The herbs are not decoration. They tame the duck's gaminess, round the broth, and keep the richness from feeling heavy. My teacher would trim the fat around the tail twice, once before washing and once after stuffing, because duck gives more than it should if you leave every bit behind.
This is not a weeknight soup unless you start early. Soak the sweet rice, clean the cavity, tie the duck, simmer it gently, and salt only at the table. That last part matters. If you salt the pot heavily, the broth turns flat as it reduces; if each person seasons their own bowl, the duck still tastes like duck. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.
Baeksuk means poultry boiled plainly until tender, and in Korean home cooking it belongs to the same family as samgyetang, but duck versions are especially associated with countryside restaurants and restorative summer or special-occasion meals. Ori-baeksuk grew in popularity in the late twentieth century as duck farms and duck restaurants spread, especially outside large cities, where medicinal aromatics such as hwanggi (milk vetch root), eomnamu (castor aralia bark), garlic, and jujube were used to balance the bird's richness. It is ordinary food given occasion by time, not a palace dish.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole duck
Quantity
1 duck, 2.3 to 2.7kg
neck and giblets removed
sweet rice (chapssal)
Quantity
1 cup
rinsed and soaked 2 hours
garlic cloves
Quantity
18 large
peeled
dried jujubes (daechu)
Quantity
8
rinsed and slit
fresh ginseng root (optional)
Quantity
1 root, about 30g
scrubbed
dried hwanggi (milk vetch root)
Quantity
2 pieces, about 15g total
dried eomnamu (castor aralia bark) (optional)
Quantity
1 piece, about 10g
yellow onion
Quantity
1 large
halved
scallion whites
Quantity
2
cut into 3-inch lengths
ginger
Quantity
1 thumb-size piece, about 25g
sliced
black peppercorns
Quantity
10 whole
water
Quantity
3.5 liters, plus more if needed
kosher salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons
for seasoning at the table
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
for serving
scallions
Quantity
2
thinly sliced, for serving
toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
lightly crushed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole duckneck and giblets removed | 1 duck, 2.3 to 2.7kg |
| sweet rice (chapssal)rinsed and soaked 2 hours | 1 cup |
| garlic clovespeeled | 18 large |
| dried jujubes (daechu)rinsed and slit | 8 |
| fresh ginseng root (optional)scrubbed | 1 root, about 30g |
| dried hwanggi (milk vetch root) | 2 pieces, about 15g total |
| dried eomnamu (castor aralia bark) (optional) | 1 piece, about 10g |
| yellow onionhalved | 1 large |
| scallion whitescut into 3-inch lengths | 2 |
| gingersliced | 1 thumb-size piece, about 25g |
| black peppercorns | 10 whole |
| water | 3.5 liters, plus more if needed |
| kosher saltfor seasoning at the table | 2 teaspoons |
| freshly ground black pepperfor serving | 1/2 teaspoon |
| scallionsthinly sliced, for serving | 2 |
| toasted sesame seeds (optional)lightly crushed | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 6 to 8 liter stockpot with lid
- •Kitchen twine or small skewers
- •Ladle and fine skimmer
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Soak the rice
Rinse the sweet rice until the water runs mostly clear, then soak it in cold water for 2 hours. Drain it well. Sweet rice needs this head start because it cooks inside the duck, where the heat arrives slowly; dry rice stays hard in the center while the duck is already tender.
- 2
Clean the duck
Pull out any loose fat from the cavity and trim the heavy fat around the tail and neck, leaving the skin intact. Rinse the duck inside and out, then pat it dry. This is not fussy work. Duck fat is generous, and if you leave all of it in the pot the broth will taste greasy before it tastes deep.
Save the trimmed fat for rendering if you like, but don't boil it in this soup. Baeksuk should be rich and clean, not oily. - 3
Stuff the cavity
Mix the drained sweet rice with 10 garlic cloves and 4 slit jujubes. Spoon this into the duck cavity without packing it tight, then close the skin with skewers or kitchen twine and tie the legs together. Leave the rice a little room to swell, or it presses into a dense lump instead of becoming soft porridge.
- 4
Build the pot
Put the duck breast side up in a heavy 6 to 8 liter pot. Add the remaining 8 garlic cloves, remaining 4 jujubes, ginseng, hwanggi, eomnamu, onion, scallion whites, ginger, peppercorns, and 3.5 liters water. The water should nearly cover the duck; add a little more only if your pot is wide. Too much water gives you plenty of liquid and no broth.
- 5
Start gently
Bring the pot just to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately lower the heat to a quiet simmer. Skim the gray foam and any yellow fat that gathers on the surface for the first 20 minutes. This early skimming is the difference between a broth that tastes clean and one that tastes tired.
- 6
Simmer until tender
Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and simmer 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, turning the duck once halfway through if part of it sits above the liquid. Keep the surface moving gently, never rolling hard. The duck is ready when a leg twists easily, the thickest part reaches 74 degrees C or 165 degrees F, and the stuffed rice is fully soft.
- 7
Rest and skim
Lift the duck carefully to a large platter and rest it 10 minutes. Strain the broth, discard the spent aromatics, and skim off excess fat with a ladle. Do not remove every drop. A little duck fat on the surface carries flavor; a thick layer dulls the bowl.
- 8
Serve the soup
Carve or pull the duck into serving pieces and spoon the stuffed sweet rice into the center of the platter or into bowls. Ladle hot broth over each serving. Put the salt, ground pepper, sliced scallions, and sesame seeds on the table so each person seasons their own bowl. Start with 1/4 teaspoon salt per bowl, taste, then add more only if the broth asks for it.
Chef Tips
- •Buy a duck that smells clean and has pale, firm skin. If the bird has a strong odor before cooking, the herbs will not rescue it. My teacher would have sent it back without a word.
- •Hwanggi and eomnamu are common in Korean herbal soup packets. If you cannot find eomnamu, leave it out and use the hwanggi, ginger, garlic, and jujube. Don't replace the whole pot with a sweet spice mix. This soup should taste of duck first.
- •A pressure cooker is an honest modern vessel here. Use a 2.3kg duck or smaller, 2.5 liters water, and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes with a full natural release. The corner you may cut is time. The corners you may not cut are trimming the fat, soaking the rice, and checking that the stuffing is fully cooked.
- •Serve with kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), oi-muchim (seasoned cucumber), or a sharp baechu-kimchi. The soup is rich, so the table needs something crisp and sour beside it.
Advance Preparation
- •Soak the sweet rice up to 8 hours ahead in the refrigerator, then drain before stuffing.
- •The duck can be cleaned, trimmed, and patted dry the night before. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and stuff it only before cooking.
- •Leftover broth and duck keep 3 days refrigerated. Chill quickly and remove the hardened fat from the top if you want a lighter second bowl. Reheat to a full simmer before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 800g)
Calories
700 calories
Total Fat
41 g
Saturated Fat
13 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
27 g
Cholesterol
175 mg
Sodium
900 mg
Total Carbohydrates
41 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
41 g
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