When a Dish Keeps Giving

Braised duck with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, beancurd skin

Once a month my parents and their friends meet up for dinner for 12 people at a Chinese restaurant called Southern Delicacy in Vancouver's Kerrisdale. In the past year the dishes have been fantastic and there are some dishes we order again and again, like the pork liver, eggplant and rice rolls in hotpot, and steamed choi sum with minced pork and egg plant.

This time we tried the restaurant's signature dish, which is not on the menu -- braised duck with canned bamboo shoots, mushrooms, beancurd skin rolls, and napa cabbage. The giant pot arrives bubbling at the table, and the sauce is mesmerising, flavoured with ginger, star anise, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and probably duck fat too.

This time with sea cucumber, fresh bamboo shoots

The portion was so large that we couldn't finish it, and we took the leftovers home, but weren't able finish them in one sitting.

In order to finish the rest of it and to soak up the sauce, we rehydrated some sea cucumber and sliced some fresh bamboo shoots. I had bought some large bamboo shoots at T&T supermarket, though after removing the tough and rough outer layer, there wasn't much left!

Nevertheless, the end result was fantastic, both the sea cucumbers and bamboo shoots taking on the flavour of the sauce, and the latter adding a crunchy texture to the dish.

It's awesome when you have a leftover dish that keeps on giving!