Yunlin Goose

Ingredients

• 1 whole goose
• 3 錢 (qian, classical weight) salt
• 1 bundle scallions
• honey
• 1 large bowl wine (米酒)
• 1 large bowl water
• 2 bundles mountain rush or dried brush (山茅)
• ground white pepper

Instructions

1. Clean the whole goose thoroughly. Rub the interior of the cavity with salt (3 qian); if desired, mix the salt with finely minced scallion and white pepper. Stuff the cavity with a bundle of whole scallions, packing them firmly. Combine honey with wine and coat the entire exterior of the goose with this mixture.
2. Pour one large bowl of wine and one large bowl of water into the cooking vessel. Arrange the goose on bamboo chopsticks or a platform so that its body does not touch the water directly. Seal the pot lid with dampened paper (use water to moisten any cracks in the seal). Place the pot over a gentle fire fueled by mountain rush (山茅) bundles.
3. Burn the first bundle of rush gradually until it is completely consumed. Allow the pot to cool, then carefully open the lid and turn the goose over. Re-seal the pot lid securely and continue steaming. Burn a second bundle of rush, again allowing it to burn down naturally—do not poke or disturb the fire. When the goose is done, the meat will be as soft as mud and the broth will be fragrant and delicious. This same method works equally well for duck.
4. Note: each bundle of mountain rush weighs one catty and eight taels. Do not add pepper and scallion powder to the salt unless you choose to do so; the recipe permits either method.