Beijing Duck - Peking Duck - The best-known dish in Beijing

Beijing Duck (Peking Duck, Chinese: 北京烤鸭, Pinyin:Běijīng kǎoyā ), or Peking
Roast Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the
Yuan Dynasty, now considered one of China's national foods.

The dish is prized for the thin, crispy skin with authentic versions of the dish
serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook.
Ducks are bred specially for the dish, which after 65 days are slaughtered and
seasoned before it is roasted in a closed oven or a hung oven. When eating
Peking roast duck, one wraps the duck skin and meat along with slivers of spring
onions (scallions) and cucumber - dabbed with sweet sauce (tian mian jiang) - with
a slice of thin pancake. This is the most authentic way to savor the rich flavor of
Peking roast duck. More than two million roast ducks are sold on average annually.

The two most notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this delicacy are Quanjude and Bianyifang, two centuries old establishments which have become
household names. Beijing Da Dong is a swanky chain that does duck to a tee but
is not so hot on the rest of the menu, considering the bill. The Hyatt's Made In
China does a modern twist to the roast meat and is sometimes voted the best
place to eat roast duck in Beijing. Li Qun, now a staple on the tourist trail, does a -
usually - great chaotic duck in a courtyard setting. While the service at Li Qun has
had a few complaints, diners get to witness the roasting process.

 Peking Duck Recipe
INGREDIENTS:Pancakes: 1 cup flour, 2 ounces lard, 16 ounces hot water

Peking Duck: 1 (5 to 7 pound) duck, preferably fresh, 3 teaspoons salt, 1/4
teaspoon white pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons hoisin sauce,  1/4 teaspoon five spice
powder, 1 gallon boiling water, 1 teaspoon light corn syrup, 1 teaspoon maltose
1 teaspoon vinegar, Shredded carrots, Sliced scallionsPREPARATION:To make the mandarin pancakes: Mix the flour, lard, and hot water together and
kneed it into dough. Roll it out making the pancakes about 2 millimeters thick, cut
out the pancakes in circles 5-inches in diameter. Then slightly pan-fry both sides in
a hot pan without oil.

To make the Peking duck: Rinse and pluck the duck and then hang to dry for
about 15 minutes. Put the salt, pepper, hoisin sauce, and five-spice powder inside
the duck to marinate it. Then put the duck into the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

Hold the duck upright and pour the hot boiling water onto its body until it is puffed.
Combine the corn syrup, maltose, and vinegar. Paint the duck with a thin layer of
the corn syrup mixture. Hang the duck for 4 to 5 hours in a dry area while using a
fan to help blow dry it. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F oven and roast the duck
for 40 minutes.
Let meat rest for 15 minutes after cooking. Remove the skin and fat layer from the
duck. Scrape the fat from the skin and cut the skin into thin strips. Cut the meat
into thin slices. Paint a pancake with hoisin sauce. Put the skin and meat slices
onto the hoisin, top with shredded carrots and scallion slices, and then roll the
pancake up. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

POSTED BY XU JI