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1
A day or two before you plan to serve the soup, place a large 2-gallon (8-liter) stockpot over medium heat and add the sesame oil, ginger, and green onions.
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2
Gently fry the ginger and green onions until they turn into thin brown tangles.
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3
Raise the heat to medium-high, add the duck, and slowly fry it to render the fat to release the flavors. When most of the fat has melted, turn the heat to high,
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4
Pour in the rice wine, and bring to a boil.
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5
Add the chicken stock, 2 quarts of the boiling water, and sugar and continue to cook until it returns to a full boil
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6
Decrease the heat and allow the pot to simmer for about an hour.
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7
Remove the pot from the heat and cool to room temperature.
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8
Strain the liquid into a clean pan, skim off the fat, and store in the refrigerator.
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9
If using cellophane noodles, about 20 minutes before serving, place them in a large work bowl and cover with cool tap water to soften them.
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10
When they are silky, use kitchen shears to cut across the soft skeins in the water into 3- to 4-inch lengths and drain into a strainer.
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11
Meanwhile, prep the vegetables: Rinse the pickles in a coarse sieve under running water to remove most of the saltiness, making sure that all sand and grit is removed. If using the mustard pickles, cut crosswise into thin 1/8-inch slices. Prepare the radish by peeling off the skin and any tough webbing under the surface and then cutting into 1/8-inch julienne strips (The pickles and radish can be prepped a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated in closed plastic bags until ready to use.)
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12
Bring the strained stock to a full boil and add the radish and the black pepper.
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13
Add the winter vegetable or mustard pickles to taste, as saltiness will vary due to the duck's preparation. You can also add more boiling water (the remaining 2 quarts, as needed) if your soup turns out to be on the salty side.
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14
Cook this, uncovered, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the radishes are tender and sweet, but not mushy.
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15
Add the cellophane noodles, if using, and simmer for no more than another 5 minutes, barely cooking through.
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16
Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. If using another type of noodle, ladle the broth into bowls filled with the cooked noodles.
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17
Serve immediately with duck meat and cilantro sprinkled on top, if using.
