Pickles & ferment bases
Yanshui brine (Nanjing salted duck brine)
南京盐水鸭老卤 · A continuously maintained, lightly salted aromatic liquid used to poach Nanjing-style salted duck (yanshui ya). It is not a finished dish but a reusable cooking medium — a 'living' master brine analogous to a Cantonese master stock or a Japanese dashi habit — that is reboiled, skimmed, topped up, and replenished after every use, growing deeper and more rounded in flavor over months and years. The brine is the defining medium of Jinling (Nanjing) boiled-cured poultry, part of Huaiyang cuisine.
The formula
≈9.5:100 salt:water (industrial); home versions 4–6:100
Industrial baseline (Source 1): 9.5 kg salt per 100 kg water, plus ginger 1 kg, scallion 800 g, star anise 200 g, Sichuan peppercorn 180 g, Shaoxing wine 1.2 kg, sugar 800 g, and supporting spices (cassia, fennel, bay, white cardamom, angelica, tangerine peel, black cardamom). Commercial recipes run much weaker (≈1.5% salt) and add MSG, maltol, and broth oil. NOT a saturated brine — the prior 24% figure is incorrect.
Identity
- Reusable, continuously maintained master brine (老卤, 'old brine') — the central, defining element of Nanjing salted duck cookery
- Moderately salted (~4–10% by weight), never saturated; salt is the soul, aromatics are supporting
- Aromatic backbone is fixed: ginger, scallion, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorn, lifted by Shaoxing wine
- Distinguished from Cantonese master stocks by its cooler, white-pepper-and-anise profile rather than dark soy and rock sugar
- Boiled after every use, skimmed of scum and excess fat, sealed, and refrigerated; topped up with salt and fresh aromatics before next poaching session
- A foundational pickles & ferment base in the encyclopedic sense — a reusable medium, not a dish
Ingredients
| Base | salt (食用盐) | Plain food-grade salt; no iodine needed but uniodized preferred to avoid off-flavors. Roughly 4–10% w/w of water depending on tradition (industrial ~9.5%, home ~4–6%). |
| Liquid | water (清水) | Cold fresh water; the solvent base. Industrial recipes use 100 kg water as the reference. |
| Aromatics | ginger (生姜) | Whole smashed slices, ~1 kg per 100 kg water industrial. De-taints and warms the brine. |
| Aromatics | scallion (大葱) | Roughly 800 g per 100 kg water; cut into sections, fried-into-brine for a clean white-pepper aroma. |
| Aromatics | star anise (八角) | Signature Jinling aromatic, ~200 g per 100 kg water; sweet-licorice backbone. |
| Aromatics | Sichuan peppercorn (花椒) | Red huajiao; ~180 g per 100 kg water. Provides the floral numbing note and 'freshness lift' that defines white-cut duck brine. |
| Flavor | Shaoxing wine (黄酒) | Adds roundness and deodorizes; ~1.2 kg per 100 kg water industrial; light baijiu is the common commercial substitute. |
Method
- 1Dissolve salt in cold water, then bring to a full rolling boil for 5–10 minutes to sterilize and saturate the solution.A clean, fully dissolved salt base prevents raw-water off-flavors and ensures even salinity during poaching.
- 2Add the aromatics (ginger, scallion, smashed star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, plus cassia, fennel, bay, cardamom, tangerine peel, angelica) in a spice bag or loose.Builds the signature warm-spice profile; the bag makes skimming and topping up easier across many reuse cycles.
- 3Simmer gently for 20–30 minutes so the aromatics release their essential oils without clouding the brine.Gentle infusion keeps the brine clear and bright — clarity is prized in yanshui ya because it preserves the duck's white skin.
- 4Stir in Shaoxing wine (and sugar, if using) off the heat, then cool to room temperature.Wine added off-heat preserves its fragrance; sugar (industrial versions) balances salt and rounds mouthfeel.
- 5Strain, cool, and refrigerate sealed. After every poaching session, reboil 10 minutes, skim scum and excess fat, retain a thin (~1–2 mm) protective oil layer, and reseal.This is what makes it a 'lǎo lǔ': each reuse deepens the umami, fat, and aromatic complexity; the thin oil film blocks oxygen and contamination.
- 6Before the next use, taste and replenish salt, aromatics, and wine to baseline proportions; replace the spice bag roughly every three cycles.Compensation for salts lost into duck flesh and aromatics spent by boiling — the brine must return to its working strength and aroma before it is reused.
Techniques that matter
Master-brine maintenance (老卤养护)
Defines this preparation — unlike a single-use cooking liquid, the brine is the institution. Its depth grows with each batch.
Dry-curing pre-pass (干腌)
The duck is dry-salted with toasted salt + spices before entering the brine; the brine therefore flavors, not salts, the meat.
Off-heat wine addition
Aromatic alcohols are volatile; adding Shaoxing wine off-heat preserves fragrance that would otherwise flash off.
Low-temperature poaching (低温焐)
The brine is held at a bare simmer (~85–95 °C) or even just held hot off-flame, so duck skin stays white and flesh tender.
Variations & derivatives
Industrial commercial brineNanjing factories
Adds sugar, MSG, chicken essence, maltol, and '卤油' (broth oil) for shelf-stable flavor; salt ratio near 9.5%.
Traditional home brineNanjing households
Milder (~4–6% salt), simpler aromatics, sometimes omits sugar; refreshed more frequently.
Modern commercial brine (xiachufang style)Restaurant trade
Very low salt (~1.5%) with MSG, maltol, baijiu, and broth oil — closer to a flavored poaching stock than a true salt brine.
Pressed duck brine (板鸭老卤)Nanjing / Jiangsu
Sister preparation used for the dry-cured Nanjing pressed duck; drier cure but uses a similar aromatic salt solution for the wet soak.
Used in these dishes
Substitutions
- Shaoxing wine (黄酒) → dry sherry or mirin (skip salt) — Provides similar roundness and deodorizing effect; avoid sweet mirin if sugar balance is critical.
- fresh Sichuan peppercorn (红花椒) → green Sichuan peppercorn — Lighter, more citrusy; acceptable but changes the traditional red-peppercorn character.
- star anise + cassia → five-spice powder — Convenience shortcut; loses the layered aromatic control of whole spices.
- Shaoxing wine → plain baijiu (高度白酒) — Common in commercial recipes; harsher, less rounded.
- salt + cold water brine → light soy + stock — Used in modern shortcuts; produces a colored, soy-driven duck (closer to soy-braised) — NOT the same product.changes result
Troubleshooting
Brine turns cloudy or develops off-odors between uses
Residual protein/blood from ducks and bacterial growth in warm storage → Reboil 10 minutes, skim all scum and excess fat, retain only a 1–2 mm oil film, and reseal; if persistent, discard and rebuild.
Poached duck emerges too salty or only superficially seasoned
Brine too strong, or brine not replenished / not at working strength → Dilute with water to baseline ~9.5% (industrial) / ~4–6% (home); top up aromatics and wine; verify duck was dry-cured first.
Aroma flat or one-dimensional after many reuses
Spent spice bag and oxidized wine → Replace spice bag (roughly every three cycles per xiachufang guidance) and add a fresh charge of Shaoxing wine and aromatics.
Duck skin yellows instead of staying white
Brine too hot during poaching or soy/sugar additives present → Hold brine at a bare simmer (~85–95 °C) or off-flame '焐'; avoid soy-based variants for traditional white-skin yanshui ya.