Peking Duck

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

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
Dinner
Main course

Ingredients

Method