What it is
下水 (hā-suí in Taiwanese Hokkien) is the word for the innards of chickens, ducks and other poultry. At a duck rice shop, a mixed plate (綜合下水) usually brings heart, liver, intestine and gizzard. Each part has its own texture, and most have a crisp, springy bite.
How it is made
The offal is cleaned, blanched in hot water, cut and plated. At busy shops one cook does nothing but blanch offal while others cut the duck. The same parts also go into offal soup (下水湯), a broth of poultry innards and seasonings. Some kitchens serve tender duck offal over bean sprouts with plenty of pepper.
How to eat it
It is a side dish for sharing next to duck rice, duck noodles or rice vermicelli. Ask for mixed offal (綜合下水) to get a selection, or name single parts such as liver (鴨肝) or heart (鴨心), which some shops sell as small soups. Condiments vary by shop, from ginger in soy paste to garlic sauce.
Around Taiwan
- Tainan
- In Yamuliao Market (鴨母寮市場), the Songcun (松村燻之味) stall smokes duck gizzard and tongue over cane sugar, alongside duck heads and feet, and sells them to take away.
- Kaohsiung
- Ya Rou Zhen (鴨肉珍), by the entrance to the old International Market in Yancheng, has traded for more than 65 years and is now run by the third generation. In Zuoying, Cheng Tsung Duck Rice (正宗鴨肉飯) serves mixed offal soup and bean sprouts with duck offal.
