Si Dan Old Ginger Duck (斯丹姜母鸭) is a famous restaurant chain in Quanzhou, renowned for its traditional dry-fried style old ginger duck and a must-try Fujian-specialty originated in Quanzhou. The brand has several outlets in Quanzhou, with majority of them around Quanzhou Ancient City (泉州古城). The flagship store, located along Tumen Street just besides Quanzhou Qingjing Mosque (泉州清净寺), is a popular spot with long queues — it has 3 shops close to one another with tables and seats to cater for its customers.
Si Dan’s unique feature lies in its old-style, dry-frying technique to braise the ducks in claypots. In the main shop, where old ginger duck dishes are prepared, chefs stand by each row of more than 10 claypots and stir the content of each claypot in systematic order, resulting in a rich gingerly aroma that filled the air when the claypot lids are lifted.
Aside from Old Ginger Duck as the main dish, other cooked dishes are available too. For 3 pax, we added a vegetable dish (烫生菜) to complement the meal with plain rice (self-service) to go along.
The whole-duck (for 2~3 pax) Old Ginger Duck (姜母鸭) is cut into small pieces, pan-fried with large amount of ginger slices and then braised with sesame oil in a claypot, allowing the strong flavour of old ginger to permeate the duck meat. The result is a dry duck dish. The tender duck meat is fragrant and flavourful with a crispy texture. It is delicious indeed!
A half-duck portion (approx. 500 grams) is also available for 1~2 pax.
Note that the old ginger slices used to cooked the duck dish are salty, so do taste the dish prior to adding any extra condiments that can make the dish ultra-salty — anyway, adding extra, unnecessary sauces always spoil the original flavours of any dishes.
Si Dan’s old ginger duck dish is a highly regarded delicacy by both locals and tourists to Quanzhou, and as a “warming” dish, it is often consumed during autumn and winter to boost energy and blood circulation. So, expect queues to be longer in winter.
Note: The Chinese name of dish, “姜母鸭” actually mean “姜母 + 鸭” (old ginger + duck), not “姜 + 母鸭” (ginger + mother duck) — although female ducks may be used to prepare old ginger duck dishes, it is not a must, the name is derived more from the use of “old ginger” due to its health benefits.
Address:
100, Tumen Street, Licheng District, Quanzhou City, Fujian, China
福建省.泉州市.鲤城区.鲤中街道.涂门街100号 — Baidu Map
Opening Hours:
10:30am to 8:15pm | Daily
Nearby:
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