The babaoya, or Eight Treasure Duck, is a famous dish in many of Shanghai's restaurants, also a renowned dish in the Qing Dynasty's (1644-1911) imperial palace.

It is called Eight Treasure Duck because the duck is stuffed with eight ingredients – lean pork, barley, ginkgo nuts, dried chestnuts, lotus seeds, dried mandarin peel, dried mushrooms and ginger.

A signature dish in Shanghai - Eight Treasure Duck. [Photo/WeChat account: shhplyj]

The dish is prepared by deboning a duck and filling it with the ingredients, then it is placed in a large bowl and sealed with cooking paper before being steamed in a wok. The duck is plump and full in shape and served with a prominent original sauce.

When it is ready to eat, the duck is topped with shrimp and green peas – the meat couldn't be more tender and flavourful.

Source: "shhplyj" WeChat account