Kinulob na itik is duck that has been boiled and then deep fried and is the signature dish of Victoria, Laguna. Historically, Pateros in Metro Manila was known for it’s duck industry and still holds the title Balut Capital of the Philippines, but after drastic urbanization, duck farmers and balut traders flocked to a new area well-suitable for raising ducks: Victoria, Laguna.
With the amount of duck farms in the municipality, Victoria quickly became #1 in the duck industry and received the nickname, Duck Raising Capital of the Philippines. The legacy of the duck industry is easily evident when you’re in Victoria - either by the giant duck statues greeting you at the entrance, the numerous duck farms scattered around the area, the annual itik (duck) festival, or the vendors and eateries advertising itlog na maalat (salted duck egg), balut (fertilized duck egg), and of course kinulob na itik(deep-fried duck).
Kinulob na itik was one of my favorite dishes while in the Philippines. It’s great to eat while drinking and even better when you’re hungover. Now that I’m in the US, I couldn’t let my craving for kinulob na itik go unattended. I searched for a recipe to follow online, but every search result returned the same basic information, but no real recipe to follow - “boil the duck in secret spices and then deep fry it”.
As I’ve never made it before, I wanted it to taste as close to the Philippine version as possible, so I got in touch with some relatives in Victoria to ask for their advice. I finally got a list of ingredients, but no specific amounts to use, so I used my first time making kinulob na itik as an experiment to get the perfect ingredient ratios as to not have one overpowering flavor. My first time was successful and tasted just like the duck I remember eating in the Philippines.
Please see my recipe for kinulob na itik and let me know what you think.
A salted duck egg is a Chinese preserved food product made by soaking duck eggs in brine, or packing each egg in damp, salted charcoal. In Asian supermarkets, these eggs are sometimes sold covered in a thick layer of salted charcoal paste.
