Peking Duck

Beijing Op

Preparation info
    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
The Chinese Banquet Cookbook

By Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Published 1985

  • About

This classic duck recipe from China’s Imperial City is as universal a part of Chinese cuisine as any food preparation can be. In Peking there are several Peking Duck restaurants that serve entire banquets composed of duck, of which Peking Duck is just a part. Elsewhere it is regarded, rightly, as a dish quite elegant and special.

Ingredients

  • 1 duck, 5 pounds, whole, including head, wings, and feet (freshly killed duck is preferred)
  • 4 cups

Method

  1. Prepare the duck: Clean, remove all membrane and fat, and rinse inside and outside with cold running water. Allow water to drain. Tie off the neck of the duck with a piece of string and insert the nozzle of the air pump into the neck opening. Inflate with the pump until the skin separates from the flesh.

    (You may alternately use your hands to separate the skin from t