Chinese language Roast Duck (烤鸭) – Omnivore’s Cookbook

January 16, 2025

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A foolproof Chinese language roast duck recipe that doesn’t require many particular substances and nonetheless will get an ideal end result with golden crispy duck pores and skin and juicy flavorful meat. Very detailed photos and a video are included to showcase find out how to make a restaurant-style roast duck in your individual kitchen. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

A plate of carved up roast duck with good crispy pores and skin is the final word centerpiece of a banquet, irrespective of whether or not you’re celebrating Chinese language New 12 months or internet hosting a cocktail party. Rising up in Beijing, my childhood reminiscences are stuffed with the enjoyment of scrumptious duck dishes with family and friends. From Peking duck to Cantonese roast duck, it’s one in every of my favourite issues to eat at a restaurant and I used to be lucky sufficient to eat duck typically. I’ve very excessive expectations for a duck dish. And that’s why it took me years to lastly develop a Chinese language roast duck recipe that I’m pleased with sharing.

Carved Chinese roast duck served on a platter

Peking vs. Cantonese duck

This recipe makes a Cantonese type roast duck. The meat is juicy and flavorful, with crispy pores and skin. Nevertheless, I’ve additionally included data under, for those who favor to serve it Peking duck type.

Similarities

Peking duck (北京烤鸭) and Cantonese roast duck (广式烧鸭) are from completely different areas of China. They share some similarities by way of their preparation course of. For instance:

Each require younger Pekin geese which can be small and have skinny pores and skin.
They each require a blanching in syrup course of to develop coloration and sanitize the duck.
They each require a protracted marinating and air drying course of.
Air pumping to separate the pores and skin and the meat is vital and important to creating the proper crispy pores and skin.
Each require a skilled oven to hold the duck and cook dinner it at a excessive temperature.

Nevertheless, many various components additionally are available play that make them utterly completely different dishes:

Peking duck

It makes use of extra simplified seasoning. The meat doesn’t have a very intense taste as a result of it’s meant to be served with Tian Mian Jiang, which is a really wealthy sauce that’s salty and barely candy. Peking duck requires a really completely different carving method that’s unattainable with out skilled coaching. Solely a really small portion (the very best half) of the duck is carved and served boneless when it’s piping scorching. The pores and skin is puffier and crispier than with Cantonese duck. Typically the very best items of the pores and skin are served on their very own. The remainder of the duck is made into soup and served together with your meal. Peking duck is often served with mandarin pancakes or steamed buns, cucumber and scallion slices, together with the Tian Mian Jiang. It’s typically a meal by itself.

P.S. Rising up in Beijing and having eaten numerous good Peking geese, I refuse to name any home made duck a Peking duck. With out the skilled oven and carving strategies, no matter you produce won’t be a Peking duck.

Cantonese duck

Cantonese duck requires extra aromatics and sauces to season the meat, which yields a fragile and scrumptious style, even loved by itself. The roasting method is completely different from the one for Peking duck, and is barely simpler to duplicate at house. The duck is carved when it’s heat, with the bones in. The pores and skin is much less crispy than with Peking duck, however nonetheless very good. It’s typically served as an appetizer with different Cantonese roast meats similar to char siu pork, or over rice or noodles as a most important dish. Relying on the area (Guangzhou type, Hong Kong type), the duck will be served with plum sauce, ginger scallion sauce, or a salty gravy made with the seasonings you marinated the duck with.

Why this recipe

This recipe was developed with my workforce member Jean-Luc, who used to dwell in Hong Kong and has labored in Cantonese eating places. He was educated and had expertise working on the roast duck station, understanding the strategies and the way eating places put together this dish, out and in.

We developed this recipe contemplating the standard house kitchen setup and the accessible substances within the US. Our purpose was to recreate the outcomes of a Cantonese restaurant with out utilizing too many specialised substances or strategies.

This recipe works with Pekin/Mallard hybrids and Mallard geese for those who can’t supply a pure bred Pekin duck.
It makes use of minimal specialty substances and tools. You don’t want to purchase a dozen objects that you simply’ll solely use as soon as.
The recipe produces a really juicy duck that is stuffed with taste and crispy pores and skin identical to the one from a Cantonese roast duck restaurant.
I made a video and have step-by-step photographs to stroll you thru the method. You’ll discover the method far more approachable than you thought.

What sort of duck to make use of

One of the best duck for Chinese language roast duck is a pure bred younger Pekin duck that weighs 3.5-4.5 lbs (1.6-2 kg). This duck yields a really crispy pores and skin as a result of the pores and skin is far thinner than the standard Mallard geese you typically discover within the US. Ideally, you need to use a head-on duck so will probably be simpler to maintain the marinade from leaking out of the cavity.

In actuality, it’s fairly onerous to supply a high-quality Pekin duck. I’ve tried the Chinatowns in each Manhattan and Brooklyn. Only a few outlets had Pekin duck and those I discovered didn’t look nice.

When testing the recipe, we tried cooking with each Mallard and Pekin Mallard hybrids (it was a Pekin duck offered by D’Artagnan, but it surely was a hybrid duck). Each produced nice outcomes. So I’m blissful to share that it’s completely doable to make use of an everyday duck yow will discover at your native market to cook dinner Chinese language roast duck.

The one factor to watch out of, is to attempt to use a small duck for those who can, particularly for those who use a Mallard. The mallard we used was about 5lbs and the Mallard Pekin hybrid was 6 lbs. Each produced passable outcomes however you’re going to get a fair higher end result if the duck is smaller.

Particular tools

There are three particular instruments you will want:

An air pump with a needle

This can be a essential instrument to inflate the duck pores and skin and detach it from the meat. This manner, the duck pores and skin will render fats correctly and grow to be crispy after roasting.

When testing the recipe, we really used a bicycle pump. It bought the job achieved properly.

Alternatively, you can even use an electrical pump, which works even higher.

When getting a pump, ensure that it comes with a needle. You’ll insert the needle beneath the duck pores and skin earlier than pumping.

Skewers

You’ll need two skewers to seal the each ends of the duck (one skewer for those who use a head-on duck). Small spherical metallic skewers similar to these 5.9” skewers are good for this job.

Kitchen twine

As soon as the duck is sealed with skewers, you will want this butcher twine to tie up the skewers, to additional safe the marinade inside the cavity.

Particular substances

Crimson fermented tofu

Fermented Tofu (酱豆腐, 腐乳, jiang dou fu, fu ru) is often known as fermented bean curd or preserved tofu. There may be white fermented tofu (白腐乳) and crimson fermented tofu (红腐乳). And we can be utilizing the crimson sort on this recipe. Fermented tofu has a gentle and spreadable texture, and a salty and savory style resembling that of sure cheeses.

You’ll find this ingredient in Chinese language grocery shops or on Amazon. It’s a key ingredient and can’t be changed.

A phrase about vinegar, wine and syrup

Historically, Chinese language crimson vinegar, maltose, and rose wine are utilized in roast duck. The vinegar and maltose are substances within the blanching liquid, and their objective is so as to add coloration to the duck pores and skin. The wine is for marinating. I changed them with apple cider vinegar, brown sugar syrup, and Shaoxing wine, as a result of I favor to not embody substances that I exploit solely very sometimes.

Nevertheless, for those who do have these specialty substances at house, be happy to make use of them!

Plum sauce

Plum sauce, or 苏梅酱, is a candy and bitter sauce that’s typically served with roast duck within the Cantonese area of China. For me, that is my favourite sauce to serve with Cantonese roast duck as a result of the bitter candy taste balances and provides an ideal contact to the crispy pores and skin and savory meat. You’ll find it at common grocery shops as of late and in most Asian markets. I actually just like the Koon Chun model, which has extra aromatics in it and tastes calmly spicy.

Should you don’t have this sauce, you can even serve the roast duck with hoisin sauce instead.

Learn how to cook dinner Cantonese roast duck

Trim and clear the duck

Minimize off the wings, so the duck is far simpler to maneuver throughout blanching and roasting. The wings will be saved for later and made right into a inventory with the leftover duck bones.

Minimize off the pores and skin connected to the neck space if utilizing a headless duck. And take away the fats items by ripping them off from the cavity.

Use your palms or a pair of fish tweezers to pluck any apparent feathers from the pores and skin.

Add the marinade and seal the duck

First, seal the neck space of the duck through the use of a skewer to string the pores and skin. Then use kitchen twine to tie up the skewer, so the cavity is absolutely enclosed to carry the marinade.

Then put together the dry and moist seasonings, and aromatics for the marinade. Add them on this order: dried seasonings, aromatics, then moist seasonings.

As soon as the marinade is added, seal the tail finish of the duck by threading the pores and skin utilizing a metallic skewer. Then tie up the skewer utilizing kitchen twine.

Air pump the duck

That is the essential step for creating crispy pores and skin.

Insert the pump needle beneath 4 areas of the duck pores and skin one after the other – each side of the legs the place it meets the breast, and each side of the highest breast half. Once you pump air into the duck, you possibly can clearly see the pores and skin being lifted up. Goal to elevate as a lot pores and skin as doable, as a result of any pores and skin that’s nonetheless connected to the meat gained’t crisp up correctly. If wanted, you possibly can undoubtedly insert the needle into different elements of the duck and pump once more.

Blanch the duck

This can be a key step to render fats from the pores and skin. The vinegar and the syrup within the bathtub may also assist the duck pores and skin to develop an attractive golden brown coloration as soon as roasted.

Use a big wok or a pot that may match the duck. Add the water, wine, vinegar and syrup to make a shower and produce it to a boil. Very fastidiously decrease the duck into the wok. And use a ladle to pour the liquid over the duck. You will note the pores and skin tightening and changing into easy. Fats can be rendered out on this course of as effectively.

This step solely takes 30 seconds or so. As a result of the purpose is to organize the pores and skin, to not cook dinner the duck.

As soon as achieved, switch the duck to a tray lined with a wire rack. I discovered it doable to elevate the duck utilizing a spider strainer if it’s a small duck. You too can use a spatula to elevate the duck tail, then use your palms to carry each ideas of the duck legs to elevate it up.

Marinate and air dry the duck

As soon as the duck has cooled off, retailer it uncovered within the fridge. You must air dry the duck for a minimum of 24 hours. Most Chinese language eating places air dry their geese for a couple of days earlier than cooking. Blanching helps to sanitize the pores and skin, so you possibly can safely age the duck.

As soon as air dried, the duck pores and skin will grow to be a bit darker. Additionally, you will see extra fats seep out of the pores and skin. Use paper towels to wipe the duck pores and skin earlier than roasting to take away any oil or moisture.

Roast the duck

Roast the duck at 450°F (232°C) for a complete of 20 minutes, and at 350°F (176°C) for one more 30 to 50 minutes relying on the scale of your duck. Should you use a small duck, a complete of fifty minutes roasting will cook dinner it by. Alternatively, you will want to roast the duck longer at 350°F (176°C) in case your duck is on the bigger facet (extra particulars within the recipe under).

The excessive temperature roasting develops the colour of the duck. The low temperature roasting additional develops the pores and skin coloration and cooks the meat by. Bear in mind to rotate the duck each 10 to fifteen minutes, so each side will brown evenly (the rear part of the oven is normally hotter than the world close to the door).

In case your oven has a convection perform, use it and decrease the temperature by 25°F. This additional dries the duck pores and skin and roasts it extra evenly. Sadly I don’t have convection so my duck ended up with some uneven spots.

Check doneness

As soon as achieved, the duck pores and skin ought to have a pleasant golden brown coloration. I used apple cider vinegar as a substitute of Chinese language crimson vinegar, so the pores and skin was barely lighter than the restaurant duck.

To check the doneness, insert a paring knife into the thickest a part of the duck breast then press the knife in opposition to the pores and skin. If the juice runs clear, the duck is cooked. If crimson or pink juice runs out, it’s worthwhile to preserve roasting the duck.

At this level, the duck meat can be very moist and the half connected to the bone should be a bit pink. When you absolutely relaxation the duck, the residual warmth will cook dinner the duck a bit extra.

Observe: this methodology produces a duck that has very juicy meat, but it surely doesn’t meet the internationally really useful inner temperature of 165°F (74°C). Should you’re involved about undercooked duck meat, use a thermometer to test the temperature and decide the doneness.

How to test the doneness of Chinese roast duck

Relaxation the duck

Relaxation the duck for a minimum of 40 minutes, as much as 1 hour, as soon as roasted.

This resting step is tremendous necessary and can’t be skipped. When the duck is simply roasted, the within is piping scorching and will probably be unattainable to carve it with out risking burning your palms. Resting additionally helps to seal the juice inside the meat, which creates a greater texture.

Carve the duck

First, it’s worthwhile to take away the twine and the skewer from the tail of the duck. It’s finest to relaxation the duck tail on a tray so it’s tilted upwards, as a result of the marinade from the cavity will drip out. Then very fastidiously stand the duck up and drain the marinade into a giant bowl. Deal with the duck very fastidiously as a result of the marinade will nonetheless be scorching even after the duck is rested.

Then carve the duck by eradicating the legs from the joints. Minimize off the breast meat (with none bones), and take away the wings. You’ll be able to see extra detailed carving strategies within the video.

Learn how to retailer and reheat the duck

It is best to at all times roast the duck the day you propose to serve it. Chinese language roast duck tastes the very best when it’s served heat. It’s doable to organize it barely forward of time and rapidly reheat it proper earlier than serving. However as quickly because the duck goes into the fridge, the pores and skin turns into very soggy and it may’t actually be saved.

You’ll be able to serve the duck immediately after the roasting. However except you’re very conversant in dealing with poultry, you’re very prone to get the pores and skin a bit of moist throughout the strategy of draining the marinade and carving the meat. And that makes the pores and skin rather less crispy.

We discovered that it’s finest to interrupt down the duck into breasts and legs. Then gently roast the duck items at 450°F (232°C) for five to 10 minutes, simply sufficient to crisp up the pores and skin a bit extra and gently heat up the meat.

As soon as reheated, you possibly can carve the breasts into smaller items, and separate the thighs from the legs. Then plate them and serve.

Observe, this recipe doesn’t use the Cantonese carving methodology to cut the duck into bone-in items. That requires a bone cleaver, which is one other particular instrument. It’s additionally onerous to chop by the bones very cleanly with out follow. If not hacked correctly, some bones will shatter, and people fragments don’t create a very good mouthfeel.

Learn how to serve Chinese language roast duck

Serve it the Cantonese manner

That is my favourite approach to serve Chinese language roast duck.

Serve the carved duck plated with a facet of plum sauce. For a full-on Cantonese BBQ (烧腊) expertise, you possibly can create a blended platter with char siu pork, siu yuk (crispy pork), and/or soy sauce rooster.

You’ll be able to serve the duck with different dishes to make it a feast:

Dipping a slice of Chinese roast duck in plum sauce

Serve it the Hong Kong manner

In Hong Kong, roast duck is often served with a brown sauce made with the diminished duck marinade. And it’s additionally widespread to serve the duck with ginger scallion sauce. Personally, I don’t actually just like the brown sauce as a result of it’s tremendous salty and it masks the fragile taste of the duck meat. That’s why I didn’t embody it in my recipe. I do like to serve the duck with ginger scallion sauce and I’ve a recipe for it right here.

Serve it like Peking duck

Technically this isn’t a Peking roast duck, but it surely’s very doable to serve it like one.

You’ll need mandarin pancakes (or gua bao buns). You will get each from the freezer part of a Chinese language grocery retailer. I even have recipes for mandarin pancakes and bao buns.

For the sauce, essentially the most genuine one is Tian Mian Jiang (a darkish brown sauce made with fermented flour, salty and barely candy). Or you need to use hoisin sauce instead.

It is best to have julienned scallion and cucumber on the facet.

To assemble, smear some sauce onto the pancake, add two to a few items of duck, add a small quantity of scallion and cucumber. Wrap it up like a burrito and revel in. You’ll be able to stuff all of the substances in a gua bao and eat it like a tiny sandwich.

Learn how to use leftover duck

The leftover duck meat will nonetheless be very tasty, however the pores and skin could also be a bit unhappy as soon as refrigerated. I discovered the easiest way to reheat leftover roast duck is to pan fry it. By searing the pores and skin on a scorching pan, it attracts out the moisture and crisp it up properly. When you’ve got bigger leftover items, pan fry the pores and skin till crispy, then reheat at 350°F (176°C) till heated by.

You’ll be able to both warmth up the meat and eat it with a sauce, or use it to make fried rice. For instance, use this rooster fried rice recipe however substitute the rooster with duck (skip the rooster marinade).

Afterthoughts

It takes numerous effort and time to make Chinese language roast duck. However I discovered that with some endurance, it is possible for you to to supply a really scrumptious duck and not using a skilled kitchen. With out utilizing a pure bred Peking duck and the specialty substances, the duck won’t look precisely just like the one from the restaurant. However I guarantee you that you simply’ll be delighted at how juicy and flavorful the meat is, and by the standard of the crispy pores and skin.

Regardless of whether or not you’re roasting a duck for Chinese language New 12 months, Christmas, or some other big day, I hope you give this one a strive!

Should you do this recipe out, depart a remark under to let me know what you suppose.

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