When traditional Chinese medicine and fine cuisine meet, the result can only be beneficial for our health. In this case, extremely beneficial. A recent study has proved that due to a powerful ingredient, one of the best known Chinese recipes can also help cut the risk of dying from heart disease by one third and cancer by two thirds. I'm talking about the savory, colorful and tasty dish known to us westerners as "Peking duck" - roast duck with a deep red plum sauce, to which red yeast rice is added for color and flavor. However, this fermented rice is a lot more than a mere food preservative and colorant, as the Chinese have used it for thousands of years as a heart-friendly herbal medicine.

Here is a healthy and natural Peking duck, complete with red yeast rice extract for extra flavor. Enjoy!

What you need:

* 1 (4 pound) whole duck, dressed
* 1/2 cup plum jam
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 orange, sliced in rounds
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
* 5 green onions
* 1/2 teaspoon red yeast rice (extract)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
* 1/4 cup finely chopped chutney

How you do it

First of all, make sure the duck is properly rinsed inside out and set it aside on a plate. Then, mix together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper and cloves, and add one teaspoon of the mixture to the inside of the duck, rubbing it in all over the cavity. Then add a tablespoon of soy sauce into the rest of the spice mixture, and when it's smoothly mixed into a thick paste, rub it evenly over the outside of the bird. Then cut one of the green onions in half and tuck it inside the duck, then cover and refrigerate it for at least two hours (preferably overnight).

The following day, place the duck face up in a large pot with a bit of water, place on the rack of the stove or cooker and steam for about an hour, adding water as it evaporates. After an hour, lift the duck and drain the juice from the pot, then take the green onion out. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), place the duck in a roasting pan and prick the skin all over using a fork, then roast it for 30 minutes.

While the duck is in the oven, mix together the remaining soy sauce and the honey, and after the 30 minutes are over, brush the honey mixture onto the duck and place it back in the oven, then turn the heat up and roast it for 5 - 10 more minutes, until the skin turns brown. Finally, prepare the sauce by mixing the plum jam, the sugar, the red yeast rice, vinegar and chutney in a bowl, then chop and add the remaining green onions. Place the whole duck onto a serving platter, decorate with orange slices and use the plum sauce and onions for dipping.