Chinese · Beijing
Peking Duck
Peking Duck (Bei Jing Ka Ya) is one of the great Chinese cooking achievements: a whole duck air-dried for 24 hours, lacquered repeatedly with a maltose-soy-vinegar glaze, then roasted in a closed oven until the skin is lacquer-thin, deep mahogany, and shatters at the brush of a knife. Served with paper-thin mandarin pancakes, spring onion, cucumber, and hoisin — the crisp skin wrapped with the sweet sauce is the dish.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1
whole Peking duck (1.5–1.8kg)
Your own market
30ml
soy sauce
20ml
Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
10g
rock sugar
Origin · ChinaWismettac · Vancouver →
3cm
2
scallions
cut into 5cm lengths
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
star anise
Your own market
1
cinnamon stick
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
800ml
chicken stock
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Blanch whole duck in boiling water for 2 minutes; remove and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
2
Hang duck in a cool, airy place (or refrigerator) for 2 hours to dry the skin completely; this step is essential for skin crispness.
3
Combine soy sauce, rice wine, rock sugar, ginger, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and chicken stock in a braising vessel large enough to hold the duck.
4
Place dried duck breast-side down into the braising liquid; bring to a simmer, cover, and braise for 45 minutes, turning halfway through.
5
Remove duck and set aside; strain braising liquid through a fine sieve, reserving 300ml.
6
Roast duck skin-side up on a rack in a 200°C oven for 20–25 minutes until skin is crisp and deep mahogany brown; baste with reserved braising liquid halfway through.
7
Rest duck for 5 minutes; carve into thin slices and serve with mandarin pancakes, hoisin sauce, and julienned cucumber and scallion.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where Peking Duck lives or dies is the 24-hour air-dry — this is what separates the restaurant version from the home attempt. The skin must be completely dry to the touch before roasting. Test with your finger at 24 hours: the skin should feel like dry parchment, not tacky or slightly moist. If still tacky, air-dry longer. A dehydrator set at 40C accelerates this by 12 hours.
Pillars V — VII
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