Peking duck or 北京烤鴨 (běi jīng kǎo yā) was at first, a palace dish that was served to royalty over a thousand years ago during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It’s no wonder that it was only for the royal families because it is a very intricate and time consuming dish to make.
Even with modern day technology, to make the Peking Duck it’s still quite a tedious task! I’m so glad I don’t have to be born in the palace to eat this work of art anymore!
In overly simplified terms, but just to give you an idea, here’s what Peking Duck chefs need to do….they first, pump air in between the skin and the meat so that the skin can become extra crispy. Second, they baste the duck with a maltose, vinegar and spice mixture so the pores of the skin can open up making it more flavourful, more moist, and it gives it a glossy red colour. Then, they air-dry the duck for 4-6 hours then roasted to perfection while infusing it with apple wood smoke. The finished product should have shiny, airy and crispy skin; meat should be moist and tender; and it should taste slightly sweet and fruity with an overall savory smokey flavor.
After all that, of course I’m not going to show you how to make real Peking Duck! That's a tad over my abilities! But, I can show you how to make something similar that can curb your cravings for Peking Duck until the next time you have it at a restaurant. This recipe, "Almost" Peking Duck 簡易片皮鴨 is so easy that I feel a bit guilty calling it a “recipe”; I suppose it’s more of an idea.
My "Almost" Peking Duck 簡易片皮鴨 requires no cooking. Just cutting and reheating. But every time I make it, people are quite impressed by it. It’s a fun appetizer for a party or just a Tuesday night meal. Try making it for your friends and family, they’ll think you slaved in the kitchen all day for them!
Looking for dessert ideas? Try my recipes for Fried Sugar Egg Puffs 炸莎翁 or Beer and Calpico Jelly 啤酒可爾必果凍.
"Almost" Peking Duck 簡易片皮鴨
Ingredients
- ½ BBQ Duck from a Chinese barbeque meat store and ask them not to cut it up
- 1 Long English cucumber
- 1 pack BBQ Duck wrappers can be found in frozen section at Chinese grocery stores
- 2 stalks Green onions
- 3 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
Instructions
- Buy half a BBQ duck from a Chinese BBQ meat store
- Cut the legs and wings off the duck carcass
- Remove the breast meat from the bone. Try not to tear any of the meat. Set the breast meat aside
- Remove the skin and any meat from the backside
- Remove the meat from the legs. Again, try to remove it in one piece
- With a sharp knife, slice the breast meat into roughly 5mm thick slices and set aside
- Slice the leg meat and other pieces of meat and skin to suitable sizes
- Place the leg meat and other parts that are not as attractive on the bottom of the serving plate
- Place the breast meat on top of the leg meat
- Clean and slice a long English cucumber and arrange it around the duck meat I do this cover up the unattractive meat under the breast meat.
And I also like to add lots of cucumbers with the duck wrap - Wash and slice the green onions into thin pieces
You can soak them in water to make them curly and less pungent. You can also cut the whites of the green onions into 3cm pieces and then cut 1cm slits on both ends, soak in water to make the ends curl - Steam the wrappers as per the instructions on the packaging
- Put the Hoisin sauce and green onions on a sauce plate or bowl
- Serve
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