Peking Duck

Name: Peking Duck
Yield: Serves 8 as a three-course meal, more if part of a banquet.
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: Salt and pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons thin soy sauce; 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry; 2 whole ducks, about 5 to 5½ pounds each, head and neck intact; 1 can hoisin sauce; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; ¼ cup malt sugar or honey dissolved in 1 cup boiling water; 4 tablespoons chopped scallion tops for garnish; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 16 pancakes; 8 cups chicken broth; 3 tablespoons peanut oil; Bones from cut-up Peking-roasted ducks; Dark meat from 2 Peking-roasted ducks, shredded; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce; 2 cups bean sprouts, plucked at both ends; 2 pounds celery cabbage (Napa cabbage); 16 Scallion Brushes; 8 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and sliced

Preparation info

Serves
8
as a three-course meal .

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

Chinese Technique

By Ken Hom

Published 1981

About

In China, the roasting of Peking Duck is so highly regarded that chefs specialize in it, and some restaurants serve only Peking Duck dinners. Ducks are bred and raised especially for this dish: they are force-fed much as the French force-feed geese for foie gras. The birds’ movements are restricted so that their flesh stays tender and juicy. The ducks are roasted in special ovens over a fire of dried jujube date, peach, and pear branches to give the skin and meat a unique fragrance.

Ingredients

Asia
China
Main course
Dinner

Ingredients

Method