Teal (small wild-type duck)
A small wild-type duck (teal), farmed for the table, cleaned whole with the fatty deposits removed. Leaner and finer-fleshed than ordinary duck, it double-boils into a light, clean-tasting soup that nourishes without heaviness. Classic with dried tangerine peel, sha shen and yuk juk.
TCM properties
Nature · cooling Flavour · sweet Meridians · spleen、stomach、kidney
Traditional food therapy
In Cantonese food therapy it is used to nourish yin, replenish deficiency and promote water metabolism, prized as a gentle tonic that suits those too weak for rich supplementation.
Cautions: read first
- Go carefully if your spleen and stomach are weak and cold
- Not for tonic use while a cold is still unresolved
Preparation
Clean the bird, strip out the fat under the skin and blanch it (飛水).
Origin
Southern China (Guangdong), farmed for the soup pot. Farmed teal is not seen in Australian retail; ordinary duck (frozen) is the practical local substitute
Availability in Australia
Herbal shops / specialists
