| Duck Cantonese Spiced Peking Red Cooked Roast Duck |
| Peking Duck ~ Peking Duck is a world famous dish. It owes its fascination and fame not only to the way it is cooked, but also to the way it is eaten. A very old tradition has it that the technique for preparing Peking Duck was invented by a cook to one of the emperors of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). In those days ducks raised in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Valley were used for this recipe. In the Sixteenth century the Ming emperors made Beijing (Peking) their capital, and the technique of preparing ducks spread to all the popular eating houses of the city. 4-5 pound duck 10 scallions (green onions) 1 long Chinese cucumber about 10 inches long 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt Mandarin Pancakes ~ recipes here a variety of sauces, including: 3 tbsp plum sauce 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 3 tbsp soy bean jam or paste 1½ tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp sugar Preparation: 1. Cut the scallions into 2-inch segments, and cut the cucumber into slightly thicker strips of the same length. 2. Clean the duck inside and out, and lower into a pot of boiling water for 3-4 seconds. Drain; wipe dry with paper towels, then hang up to dry overnight in a cool, and airy place. 3. Prepare a bowl of sugar-water by mixing the sugar with 1¼ cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt; rub the duck with the sugar-salt solution several hours before roasting. Hang it up to dry. When dry, the duck is ready for roasting. Cooking: 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the duck on the top rack and roast exactly 1 hour, with a pan underneath to catch the drippings. After 60 minutes of roasting, the duck should be well-cooked and the skin very crispy. Serving and Eating: Peking Duck is the one thing which is carved beside the dining table in China; or to be more precise, it is peeled, for the motion of slicing the duck is one of peeling ~ a one-handed action, where the thumb and blade of the knife held in the same hand act in unison in a peeling action. In the initial carving, the peeling or slicing is restricted to the crackling skin. The skin is first peeled off, then placed in a well-heated dish and passed around. Each diner will then open a pancake on the small dish provided in front of him. The pancake is brushed with the sauce, and the diner places 2 pieces of crackling skin on the pancake, along with several segments of scallions, and some strips of cucumber. He wraps the pancake up like a jelly roll, turning in the sides so that nothing falls or drips out; then uses his fingers to hold the roll, which is eaten like a hot dog. After the duck skin has been eaten, the carver peels off the meat; it is eaten in the same manner as the skin - wrapped in a pancake with scallions and cucumber, and heavily brushed with sauce. Plum sauce and Hoisin sauce for use with the duck should be served in separate sauce dishes. Soy bean pastes or jams should be blended with sesame oil and sugar, and stirred over low heat for 2-3 minutes before being placed in a sauce dish for use. Normally, a medium-sized duck will peel to make 1 dish of crackling skin, and 2 dishes of the sliced meat. When these are complimented by other dishes, a 4-5 pound duck will serve 6-10 people. Serves 6-10 with other dishes |
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