Allspice duck with braised bok choy

Canola oil	3 tablespoons
Salt	1 ½ teaspoons
Pepper, freshly ground	1 teaspoon
Duck, cut into six to eight serving pieces, trimmed of skin and fat	4 to 5 pounds
Onions, yellow, finely chopped	2
Garlic, minced	2 cloves
Ginger, peeled, grated	1-inch piece
Allspice, ground	1 ½ tablespoons
Cinnamon stick	3-inch stick
Star anise, broken into pieces	1
Chicken broth	1 ½ cups
Sugar, dark brown	¼ cup
Soy sauce	¼ cup
Hoisin sauce	3 tablespoons
Baby bok choy, cut lengthwise into quarters	2 pounds

1. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. 
2. In a small bowl, combine 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. 
3. Rub the mixture all over the duck. 
4. Place in the pan, and cook until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. 
5. Remove from the pan, and transfer to a large Dutch oven. 
6. Pour off all but a thin coating of fat from the pan. 
7. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and star anise, and sauté until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. 
8. Add the broth, and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. 
9. Stir in the sugar, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce, and bring to a boil. 
10. Pour the broth mixture over the duck. 
11. Partially cover, and cook over very low heat for 1 hour. 
12. Uncover, and use a large, shallow spoon or a ladle to skim as much fat as possible from the surface. 
13. Arrange the bok choy around the duck, pushing it slightly into the cooking liquid. 
14. Partiality cover, and cook until the duck is very tender, and the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. 
15. Slice the duck, and arrange with the bok choy and jasmine rice. 
16. Spoon any remaining sauce on top, and serve at once. 

Adapted recipe from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking.