Mahogany-red crispy skin, melting meat flavored with five-spice, served with wheat pancakes, hoisin sauce, and fresh vegetable sticks for a convivial roll-it-yourself meal.
Ingredients
- 1 piece Whole duck, cleaned
- to taste Fine salt
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 3 tbsp Acacia honey (or maltose syrup)
- 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
- as needed Water
- 16 pieces Peking duck wheat pancakes
- 6 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 4 pieces Scallions
- 1 piece Cucumber
Method
- Slide your fingers or the handle of a spoon between the skin and the meat at the breastbone, working toward the legs without tearing the skin. Remove excess fat inside the cavity. Sensory cue: the skin lifts into a flexible membrane without breaking.
- Mix the five-spice powder, salt, and Shaoxing wine. Rub this mixture only inside the duck cavity. Motion: massage the interior walls to distribute the seasoning evenly.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Hold the duck over the sink and slowly pour the boiling water over the entire surface, focusing on the legs and back. Sensory cue: the skin retracts, hardens, and becomes smooth and tight.
- In a small saucepan, heat the honey, rice vinegar, and water until completely dissolved. Generously brush the entire outer surface of the duck. Cue: the skin is uniformly glossy and coated.
- Place the duck on a wire rack over a pan, skin exposed to the air, in the refrigerator overnight, ideally for two nights. Sensory cue: the skin should become matte, dry, and tight like parchment to the touch.
- Preheat the oven to very high heat. Place the duck breast-side up on a wire rack over a roasting pan containing a little water. The water protects the fat from smoking.
- Roast first at very high heat until the skin begins to puff and brown, then reduce to medium heat. Continue cooking, watching the color, until the skin is mahogany red, shiny, and crispy. Cue: a hollow sound when you tap the skin with the back of a spoon.
- While cooking, cut the scallions and cucumber into fine sticks. Warm the wheat pancakes for a few seconds by steaming or dry-heating in a pan until soft and pliable.
- Let the duck rest for a few minutes out of the oven. With a very sharp knife, first carve the crispy skin into pieces, then slice the meat into even strips.
- Plate in the center of the table: each guest brushes a pancake with hoisin sauce, adds skin and meat, tops with scallion and cucumber sticks, then rolls it into a small bundle to enjoy.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 967.7 kcal
- Protein
- 49.3 g
- Carbohydrate
- 27.77 g
- Fat
- 73.92 g
- Fibre
- 1.43 g
- Calcium
- 33.7 mg
- Iron
- 7.18 mg
- Magnesium
- 62.69 mg
