Peking (Beijing) Duck

Peking (Beijing) Duck

Peking Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing which has been prepared since the imperial era. The dish is prized for its thin, crisp skin. The meat is eaten with scallion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce with pancakes rolled around the fillings. Sometimes pickled radish is also inside, and other sauces (like hoisin sauce) can be used.

After a lengthy preparation, which includes soaking in boiling water to remove the fat, hanging to dry, glazing then standing for 24 hours, the duck is roasted in either a closed or hung oven until it turns shiny brown.

A closed oven is built of brick and fitted with metal griddles. The oven is preheated by burning Gaoliang sorghum straw at the base. The duck is placed in the oven immediately after the fire burns out, allowing the meat to be slowly cooked through the convection of heat within the oven.

The hung oven was developed in the imperial kitchens during the Qing Dynasty and is designed to roast up to 20 ducks at the same time. It has an open fire fueled by hardwood from peach or pear trees. The ducks are hung on hooks above the fire and roasted at a temperature of 270 °C (525 °F) for 30–40 minutes.

The cooked Peking duck is traditionally carved in front of diners and served in three stages. First, the skin is served dipped in sugar and garlic sauce. The meat is then served with steamed pancakes, spring onions and sweet bean sauce. Several vegetable dishes are provided to accompany the meat. Diners spread sauce, and optionally sugar, over the pancake, which is then wrapped around the meat with the vegetables and eaten by hand. The remaining fat, meat and bones may be made into a broth, served as is, or the meat chopped up and stir fried with sweet bean sauce.