Chinese restaurant shares
recipe for artful taro duck

A Night of the Arts Featuring: Dining, kids' art activities, silent auction, art rummage sale When: 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 11 Place: Mililani Golf Course Entertainment: Mililani High School Marching Band and Color Guard, slam poets Selah Geissler and Kealoha, Just Two Girls Trio (Sonya Mendez, Mimi Conner and Rocky Holmes) and the Ben, Maila and Albert trio (Ben Vegas, Maila Gibson and Albert "Little Albert" Maligmat) Tickets: $50; $25 children. Includes unlimited food and drink. Available at McDonald's Mililani. Call: 623-2234 or 779-9156.

Think of taro duck as a work of art: a layer of succulent duck, plus a layer of stuffing packed with sausage and mushrooms, all wrapped in a shell of crispy taro.

OK, it's not Monet, Manet or even finger paint, but we can still make a connection between this classic Hong Kong dish and "A Night of the Arts," a benefit for arts education to be held Sept. 11 at the Mililani Golf Course.

This fund-raiser will support the Oahu Arts Center, an arts education center and performance venue planned for Mililani Mauka.

The evening will include an art rummage sale, silent auction and entertainment. But you can't appreciate all that on an empty stomach, so these restaurants will be serving up food: Dixie Grill, Haleiwa Eats, Jimmy's Lakeside Bakery Cafe, Mediterraneo Italian Restaurant, Mililani Golf Course Restaurant, Pah Ke's Chinese Restaurant and Tanioka's Seafoods & Catering.

This brings us to today's request, for taro duck, which comes from Kimberly Fu, a former Hawaii resident now living in Vacaville, Calif. She says she's been seeking a recipe for years for this family favorite. "Even my dad, who's a finicky eater, loves it."

Raymond Siu, owner of Pah Ke's, one of the participating restaurants in the arts event, came through with the recipe, and even simplified it for home cooking.

At the restaurant, they begin by boning a whole duck -- legs included. Only the wings are removed. A crisp taro shell encases the duck, which is sliced after deep-frying to show all its layers.

Taro duck is a special occasion dish in the Chinese repertoire, Liu says, and labor intensive. A full serving at Pah Ke's costs $36. (At the Sept. 11 function, they'll be serving simpler hoisin-flavored ribs and Chinese Chicken Salad.

For home cooks, Siu suggests using duck breasts so you don't have to mess around with boning. Layer with stuffing and taro, then fry. You don't have to wrap the breasts completely in taro, unless you really want to go for the full effect.

A few ingredient notes:

>> Wheat starch is sold in Chinatown groceries and Asian markets. It is commonly used to make dim sum. Do not substitute flour or cornstarch -- wheat starch makes the taro shell crispy without the use of the traditional pork fat.

>> Chinese taro is the type commonly found in supermarkets and is not the variety used to make poi.

>> Fresh water chestnuts are available in Chinatown and at 99 Ranch Market. Liu recommends substituting canned only as a last resort.

>> Use fresh shiitake mushrooms or dried (soak in water first). The restaurant uses dried (called black mushrooms in Chinese cooking), but Liu says fresh mushrooms have become easier to find and would also work well.

>> Lup cheong, a thin, sweet Chinese sausage, also is available in Asian markets.

Pah Ke's Taro Duck

2 boneless duck breasts
Flour for dusting
5 cups vegetable or canola oil
>> Taro crust:
1-1/3 pounds Chinese taro, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch squares
1/2 cup wheat starch
1/2 cup flour
1 cup boiling water
Salt and pepper, to taste
>> Stuffing:
2 lup cheong sausages, diced
4 shiitake mushrooms, diced
3 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
>> Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup chopped green onion
4 shiitake mushrooms, diced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Sesame oil, as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste

To make crust: Steam taro 45 minutes, until fork tender. Mash while hot.

Add wheat starch to boiling water; stir well. Add salt and pepper. Stir in mashed taro and mix well to make a paste. Texture should be like bread dough, not too sticky.

To make stuffing: Stir-fry lup cheong on medium heat. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts. If mixture is dry, add a few drops vegetable oil. Add green onion and cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

Place duck breasts skin-side down. Spread evenly with stuffing, then top with an even layer of taro paste. Press with a rolling pin to flatten and compress duck. Dust lightly on both sides with flour.

Heat oil in wok. Deep-fry duck over medium heat until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove duck and slice.

To make dipping sauce: Stir-fry mushrooms and green onion in oyster sauce. Stir in sugar. Add sesame oil, salt and pepper, to taste.

Duck may be arranged on a bed of shredded cabbage, garnished with parsley and tomato wedges. Serves 4 to 5.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: (not including salt and pepper to taste): 620 calories, 35 g total fat, 9 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 370 mg sodium, 55 g carbohydrate, 26 g protein.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 2 tablespoons of Dipping Sauce (not including salt, pepper, and sesame oil to taste to taste): 20 calories, no fat or cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 4.5 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein.

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.