Classic Chinese Duck Sauce Recipe

Name: Classic Chinese Duck Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 20245 min
Ingredients: For the Fruit Mixture:; 1 pound plums (halved and pitted); 1 pound apricots (halved and pitted); 1 cup cider vinegar; 3/4 cup water; 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar; For the Brown Sugar Mixture:; 1 cup cider vinegar; 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1 cup white granulated sugar; 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice; For the Spice Mixture:; 1/4 cup peeled and chopped ginger; 1 small onion (sliced thin); 1 serrano chile, or more to taste (seeded and chopped); 2 garlic cloves (sliced); 4 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 tablespoon toasted mustard seeds; 1 cinnamon stick

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 75 mins

Plus: 336 hrs

Total: 337 hrs 25 mins

Servings: 64 servings

Yield: 4 cups

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Chinese duck sauce is made with plums, apricots, sugar, and spices. It is a condiment served with duck, chicken, pork, and spareribs. It is also often referred to as plum sauce.

Vegetarians will also enjoy using duck sauce (which they are likely to prefer calling plum sauce) with noodles, rice, and grilled or stir-fried vegetables. It is a great way to add something extra to take out.

This delicious sauce is quite easy to make at home, but you need to plan far ahead as it needs to sit for two weeks before being used. While there are even simpler recipes out there that use prepared preserves, you'll appreciate the difference in using your own fruit and spices.

For the Fruit Mixture:

1 pound plums, halved and pitted
1 pound apricots, halved and pitted
1 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

For the Brown Sugar Mixture:

1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

For the Spice Mixture:

1/4 cup peeled and chopped ginger
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 serrano chile pepper, or more to taste, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon mustard seeds, toasted
1 cinnamon stick

Gather the ingredients.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Place the plums, apricots, 1 cup cider vinegar, water, and balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer it uncovered for 15 minutes.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Place 1 cup of cider vinegar, brown sugar, white sugar, and lemon juice in a separate saucepan. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and let it bubble for 10 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Add the brown sugar mixture to the fruit mixture, along with the ginger, onion, chile, garlic, salt, mustard seeds, and cinnamon stick. Simmer for 45 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Pour the mixture into a food processor and puree it until smooth. You may need to do this in batches.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Return it to the saucepan and simmer until thickened.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Sterilize a quart-size canning jar or 2 pint-size canning jars by boiling in a water bath for 15 minutes.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Place the duck sauce in the sterilized canning jar. Cap loosely and let cool to room temperature. Tighten cap and store in in the refrigerator at least two weeks before using.

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Serve your duck sauce/plum sauce as a condiment with duck, chicken, pork, and spareribs. You can use it whenever you see duck sauce called for in a recipe for noodle or rice dishes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
34	Calories
0g	Fat
8g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 64
Amount per serving
Calories	34
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 80mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 8g	3%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 2mg	11%
Calcium 6mg	0%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 47mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.