Peking Duck and Flour Pancakes
3 min readBeijing Kao Ya and Bao Bing
one 1.5kg-1.75kg Cherry Valley duckling, fresh or frozen
1.2litres(2 pints) water
BASTING MIXTURE
4tablespoons honey
3tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons black rice vinegar
PANCAKES
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
250-275ml very hot water
2tablespoons sesame oil
TO SERVE
6spring onions, shredded
6tablespoons hoisin sauce
Preparing Peking Duck in China is an art form, but I have devised a simpler method that closely approximates to the real thing-just give yourself plenty of time.
1. If the duck is frozen, leave it to thaw thoroughly. Rinse the duck well and blot it completely dry with kitchen paper. Insert a meat hook near the neck.
2. Bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan, then plunge the duck in several times. Let it drain well and hang it to dry in a cool place for 1 hour.
3. Add the basting mixture ingredients to the water and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and sim-mer for about 20 minutes. Using a large ladle or spoon, pour the mixture over the duck several times, as if tobathe it, until all the skin of the duck is completely coated with the mixture. Hang the duck in a cool, well-ventilated place to dry overnight, or alternatively hang it in front of a cold fan for at least 8 hours, longer if possible. Be sure to put a tray or roasting tin underneath to catch any drips. Once the duck has dried, the surface of the skin will feel like parchment.
4. Place the duck on a roasting rack in a roasting tin, breast-side up. Pour 150 ml(14 pint) water into the tin, to prevent the fat from splattering. Roast the duck in a preheated oven,240C(475F), Gas Mark 9, for15minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C(350°F), Gas Mark 4, and continue to roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before you carve it.
5. Meanwhile, for the pancakes, put the flour into a large bowl. Gradually stir in the hot water, mixing con-stantly with chopsticks or a fork until it is fully incorporated. Add more water if the mixture seems dry.
Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it for 10 minutes with your hands, then put it back into the bowl, cover it with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to rest for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it again for about 5 minutes, dusting with a little flourifit is sticky. Once the dough is smooth, form it into a roll about 46 cm(18 inches) long and about 2.5 cm(1 inch ) in diameter. Cut the roll into about 18 equal lengths with a knife. Roll each length into a ball.
7. Take 2 of the dough balls. Dip one side of one ball into the sesame oil and place the oiled side on top of the other ball. Take a rolling pin and roll both simultaneously into a round about 15 cm(6 inches) in diameter(this ensures that the dough remains moist inside and enables you to roll the pancakes thinner yet avoidovercooking them). Heat a wok or frying pan over a very low heat. Add the double pancake and cook until it has dried on one side. Flip it over and cook the other side. Remove from the pan, gently peel the 2 pancakes apart and set them aside. Repeat until all the dough balls have been cooked. Steam the pancakes to reheatthem(don’t use the oven, as this will dry them out too much), or alternatively, wrap them in clingfilm and reheat them for about 1 minute in a microwave oven. Wrap tightly in clingfilm to freeze, then let them thaw in the refrigerator first before reheating them.
8. Using a cleaver or a sharp knife, cut the duck skin and meat into pieces and arrange them on a warm platter.
Serve at once with 8-12 pancakes, the spring onions and the hoisin sauce in a small bowl. Each guest spoons some sauce on to a pancake, puts a helping of crisp skin and meat on top with a spring onion brush’, then rolls up the entire mixture in the pancake. It can be eaten using chopsticks or fingers.
