Red Braised Goose Legs

This is another Fuschia Dunlop adaptation, we’re both obsessed. Variations of this dish can be found in The Food of Sichuan and Every Grain of Rice. I’ve made this dish with pork, beef, tendon, venison, and goose. All of them are delicious. The sticky, rich, sweetness of the dish is easy to love, and easy to make. 

Just a handful of ingredients create a robust, complex, and deeply satisfying dish. Cook it ahead of time, it reheats beautifully. And as far as goose goes, it’s a perfect fit for this dish, especially if you have late season birds with some fat on them. You can make this with skin on or skin off goose. Make this for any goose leg nay sayers and change their mind, or don't, and keep all the legs for yourself. 

The core of the dish is browning the meat, adding the remaining ingredients, bringing to a simmer, cover and cooking until almost done, partially cover and allow the liquid to reduce to a sticky consistency while the meat finishes cooking. Cook time varies on the toughness of the cut, age of the animal. 

I ballpark most of these ingredients when I make this dish, now that it's become a staple in the house. Change it up to your liking, but don't overdo the star anise, a little goes a long way. 

Serve this with some greens and plenty of rice.

Red Braised Goose Legs

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

4-6 goose legs, skin on or skin off.

~1 ½” inches of ginger

2 scallions, white parts only (reserve green part for garnish)

3 tbsp shaoxing wine

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 star anise

~3 cups stock

Method:

Smash the ginger with a rolling pin. Set aside. Separate the goose leg from thigh if you like.

Heat a wok or wide saute pan over medium high heat. Add some oil and add the goose. Cook for 3-4 minutes until brown on one side, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes until browned. 

Move the goose to one side of the pan, and tilt the wok to pool the oil to the side opposite the goose. Add the ginger, scallions and star anise to the oil. Allow to cook for a minute or until fragrant.

Add the shaoxing wine, and allow to sizzle for a few seconds. Stir everything, add the brown sugar, soy sauce, and stir. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Transfer everything to a heavy bottom pan with a lid, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 1:30-2:00 hours until almost fork tender. 

Remove or move the lid to partially cover and continue simmering until the goose is fork tender and the liquid is reduced to a slightly sticky, but still fluid consistency. 

Garnish with scallion greens and serve with plenty of rice.

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