Peking Style Duck
Peking duck is one of the most famous dishes of Chinese cuisine, and this recipe makes it incredibly easy to get that golden, crispy skin at home without any of the special equipment restaurants use. Once cooked, shred the duck, and serve alongside Chinese pancakes, julienned spring onions and cucumber, and plum sauce, as is traditional.
Ingredients
- 2500g Whole duck
- 2 tsp Fine sea salt
- 1500g Water
For the syrup:
- 4 tbsp Maltose
- 200g Hot Water
- 2 tsp Rice vinegar
To roast:
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 3 Bay leaves
- 5 Star anise
- 1 Large apple- quartered
- 1 Head of garlic- halved
- 20g Ginger- sliced
- 45g Spring onions- cut into 3
To serve:
- Plum sauce as needed
- Warm Chinese pancakes as needed
- Spring onions as needed- trimmed, julienned
- Cucumber as needed- trimmed, julienned
Tools
- Cooking Chef XL
- Stir Tool
- Baking tray, large
- Container
Method
Step 1
- Place the duck on a wire rack and set the rack over a large baking tray
- Pat the duck dry with kitchen paper
- Season all over with fine sea salt
- Set aside to rest – 1 hour
- Tip: Do not cover up
- Tip: Make sure you season the whole duck, including the underside and inside the cavity ti create maximum flavour
Step 2
- Add water into the appliance bowl, fit the splashguard
- Heat until boiling – 5 minutes, 120ºC, speed Off
- Place the rack with the duck on over a large container, deep enough to hold all the water
- Carefully pour half the boiling water over the top of the duck, then flip it over and pour the rest over the underside
- Tip: If you do not have a large enough container, this step can be also done in a clean sink
- Discard the water from the container
Step 3
- Fit the Stir Tool
- Add maltose, water, and vinegar into the appliance bowl
- Heat until dissolved – 4 minutes, 105ºC, speed Stir 1
- Brush a layer of the syrup over the entire surface of the duck
- Place the wire rack with the duck back over the large baking tray
- Chill uncovered in the fridge – 1 hour
- Remove from the fridge and brush the duck with the remaining syrup
- Refrigerate uncovered overnight
- Remove the duck from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature – 1 hour
Step 4
- Preheat the oven - 220ºC
- Stuff the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, star anise, apple, garlic, ginger, and spring onions into the duck cavity
- Keeping the duck on the wire rack set inside the baking tray, transfer into the oven
- Bake – 20 minutes, 220ºC
- Lower the oven temperature - 180ºC
- Bake until cooked through - 1 hour 5 minutes, 180ºC
- Remove the duck from the oven and set aside to rest – 20 minutes
Serve
- Serve the duck alongside plum sauce, pancakes, cucumber, and spring onions
Substitutions:
- Maltose can be replaced with honey
- Rice vinegar van be replaced with white vinegar
- Plum sauce can be replaced with hoisin sauce