Ingredients

• 6 star anise
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons ground Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 skin-on duck breasts, skin scored in a criss-cross pattern
• 1 tablespoon groundnut oil (peanut)
• Salad greens, for service
• 3 1/2 ounces water
• 2 ripe plums, stoned and quartered
• 2 ounces dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• Juice of 1 lime
• Serving suggestion: This dish is delicious accompanied by stir-fried green beans and roasted sweet potatoes.

Instructions

1. To make the marinade: Place the star anise, grated ginger, rice wine, peppercorns, salt, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce, into a bowl, and stir to combine.
2. Add the duck breasts to the marinade, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Heat a wok or pan over a high heat, and add the groundnut oil. Remove the duck from the marinade and place the duck into the hot wok or pan, skin-side down, and fry until the skin is brown and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the duck to a sheet pan, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you would like your duck to be. While the duck is in the oven, prepare the apricot and plum sauce
5. To make the sauce: Pour the water into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the plums, apricots, sugar, honey, cinnamon, star anise, and cook until the mixture has reduced to a sticky sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lime juice.
6. To serve, place a duck breast onto a plate, pour over the sauce and serve with a salad.