Behind the counter at Pa Ord in LA, chef Bob Vongsanikul preps more than 18 ducks per day, served in soups and stir-fries. It's a craft he's perfected over 15 years, ever since he first learned to roast duck in Bangkok. His dedication to making the perfect duck has landed Pa Ord a spot on Eater LA's list of Essential Thai Restaurants.
Watch as chef Vongsanikul demonstrates his meticulous process: brining the bird, tightening the skin, massaging it with honey, air-drying it overnight, and roasting it until it's golden and juicy
Watch as chef Vongsanikul demonstrates his meticulous process: brining the bird, tightening the skin, massaging it with honey, air-drying it overnight, and roasting it until it's golden and juicy
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Wow! You're really into that, huh? I'm like, I need to feel my duck, you know?
00:09I have a long relationship with ducks. I've had thousands, ten thousands of ducks before.
00:31This place is the duck place. That's what's the name, Roasted Duck. This is what separates us from other Thai restaurants.
00:41The quality of meat you look for is right here. This is money right here. And this is money right here.
00:48Now this is top secret stuff. And you brine it from the inside out.
00:53All the duck is duck meat. They don't have white meat. I have customers come in and say, can I get a white meat part?
01:01I say, yeah, with the chicken, not with the duck. Duck, if you don't do it right, it's got a really strong smell to it.
01:08When you do duck, you don't have social life, period. You do the first one here, the last one leaves.
01:14You put the hook right through it. And you just hook it to any bone part. And that will set it right up.
01:27I'm going to botox this duck. Make the skin very tight. We're going to be dipping them into the hot water.
01:35Look at the skin. Nice and tight. It's totally different texture from here to here. No wrinkle.
01:41No, no, no. Do not attempt this at home. After this, we're going to do the honey rub.
01:48Now, the way you glaze it, too much will burn. Too little, no colors. It's honey. It's just regular honey.
01:56But the amount that you use is very important. And just massage it.
02:00Make sure you get them everywhere. That's where the color is going to come in.
02:05After the honey rub and the massage, air dry overnight.
02:11So it will be about 14 hours, 14-15 hours. Perfect timing. Sleeping timing.
02:34In the past, if it was meat, there would be blood. But we don't do that here.
02:39Because we want to make it look like someone else's.
02:47The next step is to add the bones.
02:50Here you go.
02:52I'm going to add the duck neck first.
02:55Next is the spine. This is the duck neck.
02:59This is coriander.
03:02Put it all in.
03:04This is fresh ginger and Chinese chives.
03:07This is coriander seeds.
03:11And dried leeks.
03:13Garlic. Fresh garlic.
03:16Coconut sugar.
03:18Lobo.
03:20Soy sauce.
03:22Light soy sauce.
03:24Black pepper.
03:26Salt.
03:27Seasoning powder.
03:29Chicken stock powder.
03:31This takes about an hour.
03:34I used to sell duck before, but not a lot.
03:38When I was in Thailand, I had a small oven in Thailand.
03:42And I met Bob at Otago.
03:48Bob was selling duck.
03:50His style was to use the style of his house.
03:54Now, this duck has been overnight air-dried.
03:58The fat is separated.
04:00And now if you touch it, it's dry.
04:03I bake my duck 60 minutes.
04:06I set two timers at halfway through at 30.
04:10The other one at 60.
04:12Okay, now we're at the halfway point.
04:14This is where we check the colors and lower the heat.
04:18And you see the color come already.
04:20It's still tough inside the meat.
04:21The next half an hour is for tenderizing the duck.
04:25And the color is already there.
04:27I want to keep it there.
04:29If I didn't turn down the heat, it would get dark.
04:32Really dark.
04:34And we don't want that.
04:36This is the remaining.
04:38The timer is telling me that the duck is done.
04:40Here we go.
04:42It's looking good.
04:44For the roast duck, presentation is everything.
04:47Right color is very important.
04:48Pecking duck concentrates on the skin only.
04:51That's why they blow air to separate the skin from the fat.
04:55But here, it's very important at the meat.
04:57I mean the skin comes with it, but the meat is what sets us apart.
05:03I want to start deboning the duck.
05:07This is what makes you good money or makes you little money.
05:11Because some of them come with only one layer.
05:14It's no use for me.
05:15First, I will take the butt out.
05:19In Spanish, it's called gulo.
05:21The second part, I will take the wing out.
05:24This is the wing part.
05:26Then the thigh and the legs.
05:28Lastly, the breast.
05:31See how thick it is?
05:33That's what you want.
05:35He's hungry.
05:38Well, about 14 to 15 years ago,
05:42I left L.A. to go to Bangkok.
05:46Where my father already had a partner from Kunming doing the duck.
05:52I was forced into taking the business.
05:54At first, I didn't know anything about duck.
05:56When I landed, the very next day, I touched duck.
05:59And ever since, it's just been improvement, improvement, improvement.
06:02I just had to learn every day and put my own way to it.
06:07This is one of our famous dishes.
06:09It's duck over rice.
06:11My duck has a saltiness.
06:14My sauce has a sweetness.
06:16So when you hit those two together,
06:18I'm making you guys hungry, huh?
06:21But I've been dreaming for a long time
06:24to do the duck here in the States.
06:26I never had a chance.
06:28So coming with Paat, with her brand,
06:31it's kind of like a bridge.
06:33So this is like her coming back from retiring.
06:37I'm happy to see her working.
06:38Even 70-something, she's still working.
06:40But it's not that she has to work.
06:43She wants to work.
07:08When I was 12 years old,
07:10I used to sell noodles.
07:13When I came to study abroad,
07:15I used to sell noodles.
07:17When I was hungry,
07:19I would help clean the table and wash the dishes.
07:21We were close.
07:23Since then, I've been going to Paaphin's shop every day.
07:26I know all the noodles.
07:28It's my own recipe.
07:30I've been making it since I was a kid.
07:32It's all my own recipe.
07:34But now,
07:36I need someone to do it for me.
07:40Someone to die for me.
07:42I've never thought
07:44that they would compete with me.
07:46I don't care.
07:48I want to train them well
07:50and open my own shop.
07:52Look at them.
07:54I never say my duck is better than other ducks.
07:57My duck is another choice for you.
07:59The way I feel?
08:01I feel very satisfied.
08:03Where all my hard work is gone.
08:05When I'm happy,
08:07that's when I'll get happy.
08:09I came back here
08:11to take care of myself.
08:13I can't just stay here.
08:15I'll get sick.
08:17I have to work all the time.
08:19When I'm at home, I dance.
08:24When Thai customers come,
08:26I have to cook for them.
08:28I smile at them.
08:30I thank them.
08:32When I was decorating the table,
08:33I ate a big bite.
08:35It was delicious.
08:37That's why I came back here.
08:39This is my 11th shop.
08:41It's the last shop I'll close.