1 Duck, 3 Dishes? No Way!

Here is what most people do when they buy a roasted duck in Chinatown: They eat it and that’s the end of it. There are rarely any leftovers.

But a roasted Chinese duck is just as versatile as the average roasted chicken or Thanksgiving turkey. I can prove it.

Recently, I bought one Chinatown duck and came up with three ways to eat it. I made a ginger duck salad and duck noodles, which can be eaten two ways, either tossed with cilantro, soy and chile sauce or eaten in soup made with a rich duck broth from the bones of the whole duck.

The first thing I did was to buy the duck whole. The butcher at the shop wanted to cut it up for me, to remove the head and the wing tips--that’s the way a lot of people ask for it. But I insisted on buying the duck intact. It’s not that I wanted the head so much, but I needed that neck.

I made a fragrant duck stock with a hint of the flavors and aromas of the roasted duck by using the neck and the bones from the rest of the duck. By adding just a little ginger, green onions and a star anise pod, I had a delicious stock for soups, rice or any recipe that requires a well-flavored stock or broth.

I was now left with all of the fragrant duck meat that I had removed from the bones. Nothing fancy was needed. After all, duck is too delicious to be masked by complicated cooking methods and ingredients. Stir-frying is great, but I decided to make duck noodles similar to the kind sold on the streets of Bangkok. By adding Thai chile paste and fried garlic to the noodles, I felt like I was in Thailand again eating noodles with my grandmother.

When I was done, I still had duck left--enough for duck salad. With brown rice and lots of vegetables, I got a filling, nutritious and refreshing second meal from the duck. And if I had decided to eat the duck noodles without the broth--in Thai noodle shops you are often given the option of eating the noodles with or without soup--I could have gotten a third meal.

Now I just have to think of something to do with the head.

DUCK NOODLES

The noodles can be eaten as a soup noodle or simply tossed with the meat, chile sauce and herbs. Both ways are terrific.

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons oil

1 (14-ounce) package Asian egg noodles

2 cups shredded duck meat, excess fat removed

1 cup bean sprouts

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

1 tablespoon Thai chile paste or to taste

1/4 cup thin soy sauce or to taste

3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce or to taste

6 cups hot Duck Stock, optional

Saute garlic in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until golden brown and lightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon oil and set aside.

Cook noodles in plenty of boiling water until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.

Divide noodles and garlic oil evenly among 4 bowls and toss to coat. Divide duck meat, sprouts, cilantro, green onions, chile paste and soy sauces as toppings evenly among bowls. Add Duck Stock if serving as soup noodles.

4 servings. Each serving, without Duck Stock:

662 calories; 1,794 mg sodium; 129 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 78 grams carbohydrates; 26 grams protein; 0.80 gram fiber.

GINGER DUCK SALAD (30 MINUTES OR LESS)

1/2 cup snow peas, ends trimmed, cut in thirds

Salt

1/2 cup sliced carrots

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup sliced cucumber

2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated ginger root

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce

1 cup shredded duck meat

Cook snow peas in boiling salted water to cover 1 minute. Remove from water with slotted spoon and refresh in ice water. Drain.

Cook carrots in same water 1 minute. Drain, refresh in ice water and drain again.

Combine rice, cooked snow peas and carrots, sprouts, green onions, cucumber, cilantro and sesame oil and toss.

Whisk together ginger and soy sauces in small bowl. Add to duck meat and toss.

Combine rice-vegetable mixture and duck. Toss until well combined. Serve at room temperature.

4 servings. Each serving:

199 calories; 607 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 1.22 grams fiber.

PHOTO CREDITS FROM LEFT

DUCK STOCK (LOW-FAT COOKING)

With a duck stock you can make many dishes. The soup version of the Duck Noodles recipe here is just one. You could use it for an exotic risotto or for duck-rice soup (add peas and cooked rice). Or you could clarify it with egg whites and reduce it to make an elegant duck consomme.

1 (4-pound) Chinese roasted duck

Water

1 1-inch piece ginger root, sliced

2 green onions

1 star anise

Remove meat from duck and coarsely shred. Reserve for other uses.

Place duck bones in 16 cups water and boil over medium heat 1 hour. Skim surface occasionally and add water as needed during cooking to maintain same level.

Add ginger, green onions and star anise and boil 30 minutes.

Strain stock. Return to stove and keep hot for immediate use or cool and freeze.

16 cups. Each 1-cup serving:

39 calories; 7 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.01 gram fiber.