Beijing Roast Duck or Peking Duck Pancakes (Chinese)

Beijing Roast Duck, also known as Peking Duck is a delicious way to prepare roast duck. It is traditionally served as Peking Duck pancakes, wrapped in Mandarin pancakes along with cucumber and plum or hoisin sauce. Our recipe is easier than many traditional methods, but still yields a delicious duck, full of the classic flavours. When in Beijing, it's not a turkey or goose that you find, its duck. And, it's not just any duck. Beijing roast duck, also known as Peking Duck or Chinese roast duck, rose to the spotlight over 700 years ago in the royal palace in China. Traditional Beijing roast duck is quite the process which makes it worthy to be considered the food of royalty. First, air is pumped between the skin and meat of a whole duck (typically with the head still attached). This separation helps the fat to drain from the duck as it renders, leaving the skin nice and crispy. Next, the duck is plunged in boiling water to tighten the skin which has gotten loose from the separating. Then, the duck is air dried and bushed with a sugar glaze. (Both aid in getting that coveted crispy Peking duck skin.) Finally, the duck is roasted. To roast, it is either hung in the oven or laid on its side and rotated every 30 minutes or so to allow for maximum fat drainage. This process yields crispy skin, as well as incredibly tender duck meat. If this process sounds intimidating, read on. We've simplified it so that it's much more manageable in the home kitchen.

1 (4-5 lb) whole Peking Duck
2 Tbsp. pure honey
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. hot water
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice

To Serve:
8-10 Mandarin Pancakes
cucumber, cut into matchsticks
scallions, sliced long
Plum Sauce
Hoisin Sauce

Check the inside of the duck for a bag contain the neck and giblets. Remove these and save to make stock or soup later, if desired.

Place the duck, breast side up, on a wire rack in a roasting pan that has been lined with aluminum foil.

Starting at the body cavity, insert your hand between the skin and breast meat to separate them.

In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, hot water, and Chinese Five Spice. Mix to combine. Brush the mixture over the whole duck.

Transfer the duck on the wire rack in the roasting pan to the refrigerator, and chill, uncovered for 12-36 hours, to air dry.

Remove the duck from the refrigerator 2 hours before you want to roast it, to let it come to room temperature.

With your oven rack at its lowest position, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Roast the duck for 30 minutes.

Remove the duck from the oven and carefully flip it breast-side down. Roast for an additional 30 minutes.

Remove the duck from the oven and carefully flip it again, breast-side up. Reduce the heat of your oven to 250F and roast until the duck is deeply golden and the leg bones move slightly in the sockets, 30-40 minutes. (If necessary, you can broil the duck for the last few minutes of cooking time to really crisp up the skin.)

Remove the duck from the oven and let it rest 15 minutes before carving.

To carve the duck, slice vertically between the breasts, on one side of the breast bone. Continue slicing around the breast to separate it from the wing. Then slice the whole breast off of the bone. Once the breast is removed from the carcass, you can slice it thinly to serve.

Serve the Peking duck with Mandarin pancakes, cucumbers, green onions, and plum sauce or hoisin sauce.

Makes 4 servings.