Shanghai Duck

Every region and big city in China has its own duck specialty, and Shanghai is no exception. This delicious firm duck is usually served at room temperature or cold as a preliminary, but it certainly makes a magnificent main course too. The eastern cuisine indulges in some chemicals such as saltpeter or rice soaked in red food coloring to cure and color its meat and poultry, but since I never use them, I have substituted the reddish hoisin sauce for the red rice here—with excellent results.<