This is another long post in coming. Twelve days to be precise. It took that long simply because, well, the recipe took that long. Right after I wrote previously about my fear of fermenting raw meat, I went ahead and made some. Heh. My mom had given me a bag of red yeast rice or ang chao in Taiwanese and I figured might as well now or never.

I love love love the smell and taste of ang chao. I don’t know how to describe it but it imparts a toasty fermented taste. In Taiwan it’s usually made with pork belly or chicken but this time I am using duck breast.

At first I was afraid the end result would be tough and dry but somehow all that fermenting made the breast tender and moist. It takes time to make this dish but I find it much better than any store-bought-ready-made-red-yeast-rice paste. Some recipes add in ginger and sugar but I like them without.

Ingredients:
The ratio given by my Ahma (Taiwanese for grandma), who is an amazing cook, is 2 cups ang chao : 5 cups of uncooked sticky rice : 1 bottle of rice wine. I used half the amount. I also prefer using Taiwanese rice wine (especially Hsiao Sing) or Japanese sake simply because they taste so much better. Actually the better rice wine used, the more fragrant and more tasty it will be. The main precaution is to make sure the rice/sake’s alcohol’s content is not too high or the yeast would be killed.
1 cup ang chao
1/2 bottle of Taiwanese rice wine or about 350 ml
2 1/2 cup uncooked sticky rice
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 duck breast
Potato starch
1. Lightly crush the ang chao and soak it with the rice wine in a clean glass jar. Leave in room temperature for a day.

2. Cook the sticky rice and let cool until lukewarm to the touch. The trick here is to make sure the rice is less than 30°C. The slight warmth of the rice would help with the fermentation. Higher than that the yeast would be killed and a different kind of nasty fermenting would happen.

Mix #1 with the sticky rice thoroughly. Place in a large bowl or jar (big enough to put the duck breast in later) and make a hole in the center. This is so as the rice ferments, the gas can escape easier. (Not sure how true this is but MANY housewives use this technique.) Cover with saran wrap and poke a few holes. Leave in room temperature for 4 days. If the weather is incredibly hot like in Bangkok, it will take only 4 days. By then, the rice will be making a a soft pop pop pop sound like soft drinks frizzling. If the weather is cold, will take a week or more.

Oh, on the second or third day, it’s a good idea to stir and mix everything around evenly. Make hole and cover.
3. Clean and pat dry the duck breast. Mix #2 and the salt thoroughly. Put in duck breast. Make sure the breast is well submerged in the red rice paste. This time put it in the fridge for 7-10 days. Any longer the meat will start to taste bitter. I read that somewhere.

4. Remove duck and scrap away the bits and pieces of red rice paste. Coat with potato starch and fry in low-medium heat until golden and crispy. When my Ahma makes this with pork belly, she usually steams it and slices it thin to be eaten with thin shreds of ginger. I also like to serve it with sliced cucumbers or daikon on the side.

What to do with leftover rice paste? It can be used a few more times if more salt is added. I’m not sure how many more times. I’ve just put in the second batch. of meat Let’s see how long I can stretch it………….
Oh, the paste can also be used in stir-fry’s. Will write about that soon. Less than 12 days, I promise.
Update May 15, 2009:
I just made the BIGGEST boo-boo! Found out from my mom earlier that I was supposed to blanch the duck breast before soaking it in the rice paste! Oh, well. But I have to admit I quite like my version.










) I was surprised to see them coated in cocoa powder. They’re usually coated in soybean or red bean powder. I was even more surprised that the cocoa was only slightly bitter. Once I got through that full dry cocoa taste, the bite leads to a very soft pillowy cool smooth lightness. The perfect dessert for summer, I say.





























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