Homemade Peking Duck

Prepare

1. To begin with a perfect Peking duck recipe at home, firstly choose head on (easy to hang for air drying out), clean and lean ducks. Add around 1 teaspoon of white vinegar in clean water and soak the duck for 1 hour. Then prepare lines and tie the ducks from the top of the neck. Hang them on hooks. I hang the ducks on the top of kitchen pool.
2. Mix 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce with 1½ tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine and 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder. Spread the sauce on the inner side of the duck.
3. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of maltose with 2 tablespoons of hot water and 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar. Then brush the liquid evenly on the duck skin (the liquid should be warm for the first brushing). Then wait for 30 minutes and brush again. Hang on for at least 24 hours (I don’t recommend making this is summer, autumn and winter are the best seasons). In winter, you can hang up for 5 days.

Roast the bird

1. Seal the bottom before roasting with soaked toothpicks.
2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degree C. Place the duck on a baking grill and use a lined baking pan to catch the drops. And then roast for 20 minutes. Then take the duck over and roast the other side for another 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 120 degree C and continue roasting for 30 minutes. (My bird is around 1000g each one, if you get larger ones, lengthen another 10 minutes for 500g weight addition).

Let the skin even crisper

1. Option 1: heat enough hot oil, then hold the neck and pour the hot oil on the skins. I use a very deep bowl for this step. Be carefully, do not get burnt by the hot oil. This help to make the skin even crisper.
2. Option 2: Set the oven temperature to 180 degree C again and re-roast for 6-10 minutes (watch carefully at this step and do not let the skin get burnt.)

How to cut the duck

1. Firstly cut a line around the breast. Then divide into two part in the middle. Then slice the breast meat with skins one by one. You can hand-shred the left meat off and leave the leftover bones for a soup broth.

Side ingredients for serving

1. Make peking pancake during the roasting time, cut cucumber into small strips. Cut the leek onion in half, take the green part out and cut the remaining white shell and then cut into small shreds.
2. Sweet bean sauce (甜面酱): mix 2 tablespoons of sweet red bean sauce with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.

How to assemble

1. Take one duck wrapper, brush around 1 teaspoon of sweet red bean paste on the bottom, lay a small brunch of shredded leek onion and a small strip of cucumber. Then place two slices of duck breast. Roll up and enjoy.