Homemade Duck Sauce for Passover is SO EASY and QUICK to make. Use it for your cooking or as a dip for your matzo on Passover!
Duck sauce is a condiment made from fruit and is used in American Chinese cuisine or as a dip for sides, such as wonton strips and eggrolls.
However, it’s also great as a glaze for meat or poultry. So, if you want to vary your Passover meals, try Duck Sauce Chicken for Passover. You’ll be glad you did!
A little about American Chinese Food
American Chinese cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine that was developed by Chinese Americans. These dishes significantly differ from traditional Chinese dishes, because American-Chinese dishes were adapted to suit American tastes.
Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States in large numbers in the mid 19th century in order to escape the economic difficulties in China, hoping to find work during the California Gold Rush and on the Central Pacific Railroad.
They mostly settled together in ghettos, individually known as Chinatown, and – since there were laws preventing them from owning their own land – they opened their own businesses, such as laundry services and restaurants.
Initially, the family-owned businesses catered to miners and railroad workers and estaurants were set up in places where Chinese food was unknown. Food was based on the requests of the customers and recipes were created to suit American tastes using whatever ingredients were available.
One major difference between traditional Chinese cuisine American-Chinese cuisine is in the use of vegetables. American Chinese recipes will use raw or uncooked ingredients and those not native to China. Traditional Chinese cuisine, on the other hand rarely contain raw or uncooked ingredients and often uses Asian leaf vegetables.
While he new dishes were not traditional Chinese, these restaurants were responsible for the development of the ever-popular American Chinese cuisine.
A little of my cooking background
I really wanted to title this blog “If I can make it, anyone can” because, honestly, if I can make it, anyone can.
I never really liked cooking, and when I was single, a meal for me meant grilled cheese, eggs, tuna, or something else that didn’t require effort or time.
When my kids were young, I was still able to get away with preparing only a small variety of easy meals, but the older they got, the more dishes I learned to make at their request.
Still, I insisted on keeping it simple.
Honestly, I never understood why some cooks unnecessarily complicate meals. I have seen recipes that have several ingredients that don’t really seem to add much, if anything, to the dish. So, why bother?
It has always been important to me that whoever eats at my table will have plenty to enjoy, and that includes my kids (I never agreed with the “You will eat what is served or you won’t eat” ideology), and, because I keep it simple, I can prepare a variety of dishes in a relatively short period of time.
I have a philosophy regarding being a great cook: Prepare food according to the tastes of those who will be eating it, and they will love your cooking!
As far as I am concerned, start with the basic ingredients that make the dish what it is, adapt according to taste, and voila! You are an amazing cook!
The bottom line is that while there are certainly delicate recipes out there for specialty dishes, making delicious meals doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. It’s not difficult to impress—just make sure it tastes good.
While some of the recipes on my blog are more time-consuming than others, they are all tried and true easy-shmeezy!
Of course, one always has to consider the conditions under which they cook. Weather (humidity, heat, cold), different types of ovens, different quality of pots, etc.—all of which can affect your cooking and baking.
Nevertheless, as I said, if I can do it, anyone can!
Food on Passover
Torah-observant Jews do not eat chametz (the fermented products of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye).
In addition, Torah-observant Ashkenazi Jews do not eat kitniyot (or kitniyos as pronouced in Ashkenazi Hebrew). These include legumes, corn, rice, and similar foods that were deemed forbidden to eat by rabbis in the medieval period and are still not eaten today. Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews do not follow this tradition.
Many ovservant Ashkenazi Jews will not even eat the derivatives of these kitniyot, while others do (each family holds their own traditions regarding this).
Then, there are Ashkenazim who don’t eat “gebrokts” (or gebrochts).
Gebrokts means “broken” in Yiddish, and in this case refers to matzo that has absorbed liquid. Not eating gebrochts is observed by many in the Hasidic Jewish community and Ashkenazim who have taken on this tradition where they basically don’t mix anything wet with matzo.
So, things like matzo sandwhiches, fried matzo, and even matzo balls are a no-no for them.
There is a joke that sums it all up:
On Passover, we should remember people who have little to eat on this holiday. They are called Ashkenazim.
Over the years, I have learned to adapt “normal” food for passover so that my family won’t complain about boring, tasteless, or repetitive meals.
I find that having good food and variety makes the week of Passover a very pleasant experience and I hope this recipe will help make yours just that!
Eating matzo on the day of the seder
Jews who keep the laws of Passover do not eat matzo or any foods that contain anything from matzo (such as matzo meal or matzo cake meal) the entire day before the seder, which is in the evening.
Some people even have the custom of not eating such foods from two weeks before, beginning on Rosh Chodesh Nissan or even as far back as Purim, which is a month before.
Kosher for Passover Pantry Essentials (Suggestion)
As I learned to prepare more and more recipes for Passover, I also learned which basics and seasonings are good to have on hand to have the ability to make a dish on short notice—especially during the holiday—and not have to run out to the store or borrow from a neighbor.
While I will admit that I am not always prepared when one of my kids will ask for eggplant parmesan or something at the drop of a hat (which they have done), I dislike having to postpone making something just because the ingredients needed to make a reasonable meal were not readily available.
So, I maintain selection of what I consider “kosher for Passover pantry essentials” in my refrigerator and on my shelves during the week of Passover (some of the dry goods, I keep from year to year, stored well).
While, of course, most of the essentials will not be needed just for any one recipe, at least some of them are needed for most recipes, and you would be surprised how many recipes can be made just with this list. So, if you make sure to have whatever you use regularly on hand, it can really save you time and effort.
Everyone has their favorite recipes, preferred seasoning, and just whatever they like to use to cook. Your own list should certainly reflect your own cooking tastes and style. Just make sure that everything is Kosher for Passover (KLP) and if you are Ashkenazi, that list will be shorter than if you are not.
Make sure to check with a qualified rabbi if you have any questions.
Following is a pretty comprehensive list of what you can choose from to keep on hand. I keep quite a bit of it.
Seasoning and flavoring:
- salt
- ground black or white pepper
- granulated garlic or garlic powder
- onion powder
- ground cinnamon
- sugar (granulated)
- brown sugar
- chicken consomme powder
- onion soup mix
- various herbs
- additional spices to adapt taste to preference
Misc:
- oil / margarine / butter / cooking spray
- potato starch as a thickening agent
- baking powder
- matzo cake meal (matzo meal, but ground into a powder)
- condiments – such as ketchup and barbecue sauce
- tomato sauce/tomato paste/canned tomatoes – diced or crushed/pasta sauce
- milk substitute (neutral flavor)
We always have eggs in the fridge and onions, and potatoes on our shelves (if we were not Ashkenazi, I would certainly keep rice as well).
In addition, having some fresh vegetables in the fridge, such as carrots, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers (red, green, etc), etc. can be very useful when putting together a quick, but delicious meal.
It is also a good idea to have some ground meat or chicken (breast, ground, or in parts), in the freezer for anyone who likes meat dishes in a snap.
Why are these pantry essentials beneficial to have on hand?
Personally, having the above ingredients in my kitchen is very advantageous, as I make a variety of dishes and use most of the items on the list regularly.
Whether or not buying a bunch of herbs, spices, etc. before you know what you are going to make for the week it is workable for you depends on your own personal preference.
Of course, the more you cook and the more varied your recipes, the more you will use, and the more you will need.
If you plan your meals ahead for the week, you will be prepared with whatever else you might need that you wouldn’t even normally keep in your passover pantry.
If you do decide to keep them over from year to year, I would only do so if they can be sealed well (or better yet, stored in the freezer), because not only can weather have an affect on some of the spices and on the chicken consommé powder, but you will be surprised to know just how clever moths are at getting into sealed bags and how hot red pepper powder can attract little black bugs – YUCK!.
Can I make Chinese food on Passover?
Much of the American Chinese cuisine calls for cornstarch and soy sauce. Both corn and soy are considered kitniyot and many people (Ashkenazim and some Sepharadim) do not eat kitniyot on Passover. That said, potato starch can be substituted for cornstarch, however I am not sure what can be done about the soy sauce.
Personally, I don’t bother trying and just make the dishes during the year, and if you want Kosher American Chinese food during the year and don’t live near enough to a restuarant or takeout place or if you just want to save some $$, try any of these other great tasting and simple-to-make recipes:
- Easy Kosher Mongolian Chicken
- Easy Kosher Mongolian Beef
- Easy Kosher Beef and Broccoli
- Easy Kosher Chicken and Broccoli
- Easy Kosher Pepper Steak
- Easy Kosher Chicken Fried Rice
- Easy Vegetarian Fried Rice
- Easy Kosher Chicken Lo Mein
- Easy Kosher Beef Lo Mein
- Easy Kosher Chicken Chow Mein
- Easy Kosher Beef Chow Mein
- Easy Kosher Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls
The little history of Kosher Chinese Food
It is well known that Jews (especially those with ties to New York) love Chinese food. You can find at least one and, more often than not, several kosher Chinese restaurants in predominately Jewish neighborhoods. In the town of Cedarhurst, New York, for example, there are two within a couple of blocks – both excellent…and don’t even get me started on Brooklyn.
There is a popular joke, which has been passed around for many years which describes the Jewish dependency on Chinese food: “According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5749. According to the Chinese calendar, the year is 4687. That means for 1,062 years, the Jews went without Chinese food.” That was back in 1989 and who knows when the joke even started?
Jews as a group were probably first introduced to Chinese food in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where immigrants of various cultures settled in their own neighborhoods in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
By the early 1900s, approximately one million Jews from Eastern Europe and half a million Italians from Southern Italy shared the Lower East Side of Manhattan with only approximately 7,000 Cantonese Chinese, most of who had moved from California.
Due to anti-Chinese laws and acts, which prevented them from competing with whites, many Chinese opened restaurants.
The majority Jewish immigrants at that time were observant in their religion and ate only kosher food when they arrived in New York. But, over time, many assimilated and their children, who were less interested in keeping “the old ways” and more interested in other cultural experiences, even more so.
Some continued keeping kosher at home, while allowing themselves to stray while out. Sunday was a favorite time for eating out and Chinese food was not only reasonably priced, but their restaurants were open on Sundays.
Not only that, but Chinese food didn’t use milk and while excuses may be made for eating non-kosher meat outside of the home, there was still the forbidden mixing of meat and milk to consider.
Having been raised with what is forbidden, these Jews seemed to feel that if they couldn’t tell it was non-kosher, it wasn’t that bad (or wasn’t repulsive), even if it contained pork or non-kosher seafood. The attitude seemed to be, if I can’t see it, it won’t kill me.
But what about Jews who did keep kosher? It took decades, but finally one enlightened Jewish, kosher deli owner found a solution. Using Cantonese Chinese recipes and substituting kosher veal, beef, and chicken livers for pork, he began selling the first kosher Chinese food. This was Sol Bernstein, the eldest son of Schmulka Bernstein.
Schmulka Bernstein ran kosher butcher store and smokehouse on the Lower East Side of Manhattan near Essex St for approximately 30 years from the 1930s until the mid-1960s.
In 1959, Sol, opened a delicatessen on Essex Street and called it Bernstein-on-Essex. His slogan was “Where kashrut is king and quality reigns” (kashrut = kosher).
Although the deli was separate from Schmulka’s butcher shop and belonged to Sol, everyone still called it Schmulka Bernstein’s and anyone who is still around and remembers, still does so till this day. In fact, I doubt that many people even know that the deli belonged to Sol or that it was Sol who was the originator of Kosher Chinese food in the US.
Sol continued to sell deli while he incorporated Chinese foods into the menu and did very well. The restaurant continued to prosper until he died in 1992, when it was sold.
Homemade Duck Sauce for Passover
Delicious fruity duck sauce for cooking or dipping, kosher for Passover
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup apricot or peach (or combination of both) jam *
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (for color)
- pinch (1/8 teaspoon) salt
- water
Instructions
- Pour the jam, sugar, rice vinegar, and 1/2 cup water into a sauce pan on medium heat and mix well.
- Mix in the paprika and salt.
- Place the potato starch in a bowl and add 1/4 cup water and mix well so there are no lumps, and pour into the jam mixture.
- Bring just to a boil while mixing and turn off.
- Let cool.
Notes
* Use 1 cup instead of 3/4 cup of the jam if you would like a stronger fruit flavor.
MAKE SURE ALL INGREDIENTS ARE KOSHER FOR PASSOVER.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 56Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g