Duck fat

Roughly half oleic acid, so it stays soft at room temperature and fully liquid near 30 degrees Celsius. Smoke point around 190 degrees, adequate rather than high. Its flavour is sweet and faintly gamey, which sits badly against fermented chilli and soybean, so it is the wrong frying medium for most Chinese cooking. Where it earns its place is a slow cold-start shallot or garlic fry, because the long gentle dehydration picks up the fat's character and the resulting infused oil is a finishing drizzle in its own right. Remember it sets soft when cold, so a duck-fat drizzle needs a hot bowl.