The duck should be whole with the skin intact. Tie
the neck tightly with string and sew up or skewer
the bottom opening.
Cut a small slit in the side of
the neck, insert a straw and blow air under the skin
until it is inflated. Suspend the duck over a basin
and leave to hang for 1 hour.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, insert the duck
and boil for 1 minute then remove and dry well.
Bring the water to the boil and stir in the honey.
Rub the mixture over the duck skin until it is
saturated. Hang the duck over a basin in a cool,
airy place for about 8 hours until the skin is hard.
Suspend the duck or place on a rack over a roasting
tin and roast in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/gas
mark 4 for about 1 1/2 hours, basting regularly with
sesame oil.
To make the pancakes, boil the water then gradually
add the flour Knead lightly until the dough is soft,
cover with a damp cloth and leave to stand for 15
minutes.
Roll out on a floured surface and shape
into a long cylinder. Cut into 2.5 cm/1 in slices
then flatten until about 5 mm/1/4 in thick and brush
the tops with oil.
Stack in pairs with the oiled
surfaces touching and dust the outsides lightly with
flour. Roll out the pairs to about 10 cm/4 in across
and cook in pairs for about 1 minute on each side
until lightly browned. Separate and stack until
ready to serve.
Prepare the Dips by mixing half the hoisin sauce
with the sugar and mixing the remaining hoisin sauce
with the soy sauce and sesame oil.
Remove the duck from the oven, cut off the skin and
cut it into squares, and cube the meat. Arrange on
separate plates and serve with the pancakes, dips
and accompaniments.
Chinese Recipes -
Peking Duck Recipe
