Sous Vide Shredded Duck Legs with Sesame Noodles

My wife always orders cold sesame noodles from our local Chinese restaurant so I decided to try and make my own. I found this version to be the most flavorful and the one that I could easily find all the ingredients for at my local supermarket. It's topped with shredded duck legs because they can hold up to the strong flavors of the noodles. You can either eat this dish hot or cold, it's great either way. You can add more or less chile-garlic paste depending on how spicy you want it.

There are a few options when you want to shred duck legs. Many people recommend 167°F (75°C) for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. This time and temperature combination also works well for duck confit. Cooking them at 144°F (62.2°C) for 18 to 24 hours is also highly recommended for a less fall-apart texture.

Duck legs can also be lightly cured first to add flavor, which is something I do for this recipe. Just spice the duck legs, cover them with salt and sugar, then let them sit for up to 12 hours.

Shredded duck legs sesame noodles

Modernist Tools, Ingredients, and Techniques Used

If you would like more information about the modernist techniques, ingredients, and equipment used in the sous vide shredded duck legs with sesame noodles recipe you can check out the following.

If you like this recipe you can get it and more than 85 other inspiring recipes to get you on your way to sous vide success. It's all in my best selling book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Sous Vide - Get Your Copy Today!

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Sous Vide Shredded Duck Legs with Sesame Noodles

  • Published: April 07, 2015
  • By Jason Logsdon
  • Prep Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 36 Hours
  • Cooks: 167°F (75°C) for 16 to 24 hours
  • Serves: 4

Sous Vide Shredded Duck Legs with Sesame Noodles Ingredients

For the Duck Legs

4 duck legs, about 3 pounds (1350g)
4 cups salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons ground coriander
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
1 bay leaf, crushed

For the Sesame Noodles

12 ounces Chinese egg noodles or soba noodles, (340g)
3 tablespoons sesame oil, preferably dark
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame paste or tahini
2 tablespoons peanut butter, preferably smooth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chile-garlic paste, such as sambal
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1" (25mm) piece of ginger, peeled and minced

To Assemble

1 cucumber, julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned or grated
1 cup bean sprouts
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Peanuts, roughly chopped
Sesame seeds, preferably toasted

Sous Vide Shredded Duck Legs with Sesame Noodles Instructions

For the Duck Legs

At least 24 to 36 hours before serving

Mix together the salt and sugar in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the remaining spices then coat the dug legs with them. Place the duck legs in a plastic bag or non-reactive container and pack the salt and sugar cure evenly around them. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.

Preheat a water bath to 167°F (75°C).

Wash the cure off of the duck legs then place into a sous vide bag and seal. Cook the duck for 16 to 24 hours.

Once cooked, remove the duck from the sous vide bag and pat dry. Sear the duck legs in a hot pan until crispy. Remove the meat from the bones and shred.

For the Sesame Noodles

40 minutes before serving

Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add the noodles. Cook until tender but still slightly firm. Drain the noodles.

Blend together the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Stir in the chile-garlic paste, garlic, scallions, sesame seeds, and ginger. Toss the noodles with the sauce. If serving cold you can let them cool and then refrigerate them at this point.

To Assemble

Place a pile of noodles on a plate or in a bowl. Top with the cucumber, carrots, and sprouts. Add the peanuts then the shredded duck. Sprinkle with the cilantro and sesame seeds, then serve.

Modernist Notes

Because xanthan gum is a modernist ingredient, the amounts for this component are given in metric by weight. Learn more about how to measure modernist ingredients in this article.

I usually add 0.15% xanthan gum when I blend together the oil, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar for the noodle sauce. This helps with the mouthfeel of the sauce and it clings to the noodles better.

If you like this recipe you can get it and more than 85 other inspiring recipes to get you on your way to sous vide success. It's all in my best selling book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Sous Vide - Get Your Copy Today!

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All tags for this article: Dish, Duck, Noodles, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Duck , Sous Vide Duck Legs, Sous Vide Recipes, Xanthan Gum, Xanthan Gum Thickening


Jason logsdon headshot This article is by me, Jason Logsdon. I'm an adventurous home cook and professional blogger who loves to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking. I've explored everything from sous vide and whipping siphons to pressure cookers and blow torches; created foams, gels and spheres; made barrel aged cocktails and brewed beer. I have also written 10 cookbooks on modernist cooking and sous vide and I run the AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com website.
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