Preparation time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration time: 3 hours
Cooking time: 3 hours 2 minutes
Servings: 8
In a bowl, mix the soya sauce with the honey, port, orange juice, sesame oil, Chinese Five-Spice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, thyme, and food colouring. Set aside.
Pat the ducks dry with paper towel.
Place the orange slices in the bottom of a roasting pan, then lay the ducks on top of the oranges.
Using a brush, coat the ducks all over with 1/4 of the glaze. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 5 hours, brushing the ducks a few times with another 1/4 of the glaze.
When ready to begin cooking, pre-heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
Pour 250 mL (1 cup) of water into the roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Roast in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil, and then cover only the wings with the foil. Continue cooking for 1 hour 30 minutes, brushing the ducks a few times with the remaining half of the glaze, adding water to the pan as needed, until a cooking thermometer inserted into the thigh (without touching the bone) reads 82 °C (180 °F).
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and place the ducks on a serving plate. Loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Pour the rest of the glaze into a pan and bring to a boil.
In a bowl, mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cold water. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the pan while stirring. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes on low heat.
Serve the ducks with the sauce.
