Asian Home Recipe

Chinese Peking Duck Recipe

Ingredients :

2.5 kg

40 pieces

6

1/2

2

 

Coating

1 tablespoon

1  teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon

 

Sauce

2 tablespoons

1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon

Duck

Chinese pancake

Spring onions (scallions)

Cucumber, sliced

Red chilies

 

 

Malt sugar, honey or molasses

Cornflour

Vinegar

 

 

Hoisin sauce

Peanut butter

Sesame oil

Chinese yellow wine

Method :
  • Clean the duck, removing and discarding any excess fat in the cavity.

  • Tie a piece of string around its  neck. Pat dry.

  • Bring 25 cups of water to the boil and turn off the heat.

  • Put the duck into the water and turn it backwards and forwards for about 1 minute. Remove.

  • Bring the water to the boil again and repeat the previous step.

  • Do this twice more (total four times).

  • Hang the duck in a cool, draughty place for about 5 hours.

  • Mix the coating ingredients with 10 tablespoons hot water and brush the duck all over with the mixture.

  • Hang to dry for a further 4 hours and apply a second layer of coating.

  • Pre-heat the oven to 450oF / 230oC.

  • Put a roasting pan in the oven with a wire rack in it, making sure that there is a space of about 5 cm between the rack and the pan base.

  • Place the duck on the rack, breast side up, and roast for 8 minutes.

  • Turn the duck over using a towel, not a fork, and roast for a further 8 minutes.

  • Reduce the temperature to 350oF / 180oC and turn the duck breast side up again.

  • Roast for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 250oF / 120oC and roast for 10 minutes.

  • Increase the heat again to 450oF / 230oC and roast the duck for about 10 minutes.

  • At this point you have to watch carefully to make sure the skin of the duck does not burn.

  • Turn off the heat once the skin has turned a rich deep red.

  • While the duck is roasting, prepare the Chinese pancakes.

  • Cut the spring onions into 5 cm lengths, shred the tip of each piece and put it in iced water for 10 minutes. Cut the cucumber into similar lengths.

  • Decorate each piece with a red chili ring.

  • Blend together the sauce ingredients over a low heat.

  • Carve off the skin on the back of the duck.

  • Hold the knife horizontally and carve the skin and meat from the breast and legs, cutting at an angle of 15o.

  • Arrange the skin and meat on a large plate and serve it with pancakes and cucumber, spring onions and the sauce.

Note : Diners help themselves. They place one pancake flat on a plate, put a piece of duck in the center, dip a spring onion (scallion) in the sauce and put it on top of the duck, wrap it up and eat it. The contrast of textures and taste is delicious.

 

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