Lin Xu rinsed the boned duck, trying to remove as much blood as possible.
Then he placed it in a basin, adding scallion, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and rice wine, for a simple marination.
This step is mainly to remove the duck's odor, so there's no need to add other seasonings, just use these to remove the smell and odd taste.
While marinating the duck, he began preparing the Eight Treasure filling.
First, he scooped out the soaked glutinous rice.
This aged glutinous rice had been soaked for about a dozen hours, fully soaked through, and after draining the water, Lin Xu put it into a wok, slowly frying it over medium heat.
When the moisture quickly dried up, he added some star anise and a few bay leaves to enhance the aroma of the glutinous rice.
When using glutinous rice as a filling, it's best to fry it this way, to release the rice's own fragrance and to mix in the aroma of the spices, making the rice's fragrance richer.
