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1
Remove the neck and any large back fat pad from the duck. Pat the joints thoroughly dry. Place them skin-side down in a cold heavy casserole or wok set over medium-high heat. Render and brown without moving until the skin is deep mahogany and the fat has run freely — the colour of the skin at this stage will be the colour of the finished sauce.
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2
Turn the joints and brown the flesh side briefly. Pour off all but a thin film of rendered fat. Add the Shaoxing wine and let it bubble and reduce for one minute, then add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rock sugar, star anise, and enough water or light stock to come halfway up the duck. Stir to dissolve the rock sugar — it is dissolved when no gritty sound rises from the spoon.
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3
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and braise over low heat for approximately 40 minutes, turning the duck once at the halfway point. The duck is ready for the taro when the meat yields at the thickest point to firm pressure but is not yet falling from the bone.
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4
Nestle the taro cubes into the braising liquid around the duck. Cover and continue to braise for a further 20 minutes. The taro is done when it is creamy at the centre — a skewer meets no resistance — yet the cubes still hold their shape and have not collapsed into the sauce.
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5
Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and reduce the braising liquid until it coats the duck and taro in a lacquered, glossy sauce. The sauce is ready when it clings to the back of a spoon and carries a deep, sweet-savoury aroma of star anise and rendered duck fat.
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6
Taste the sauce and adjust with a small addition of soy sauce or rock sugar as needed. Serve directly from the pot over steamed rice.