Peking Duck, An Easy Home Version (北京烤鸭)

What is Peking duck

One of the most symbolic dishes of Chinese Cuisine, Peking Duck (北京烤鸭) is a celebrated dish named after Beijing, the capital of China, formerly known in English as Peking.

It’s a dish consisting of several elements: sliced pieces of roast duck with crispy skin and tender meat, thin pancakes, a savoury sauce and some julienned vegetables. These elements are assembled into a roll for consumption.

Every time I travel back to Beijing where I worked for nearly a decade, Peking duck is always my No.1 dish to eat with family and friends. If you’ve tasted it before, you’d understand why it’s regarded as a culinary art.

Marinate the duck

Like making Five Spice Chicken or Aromatic Crispy Duck, you’ll need to prepare the duck in advance to achieve the best taste and texture. For this recipe, start the process 1 to 2 days before cooking. Remove any giblets and their packaging from the cavity, then follow the steps below.

STEP 1: Season the duck.

Pat dry the duck with kitchen paper to remove any moisture then rub a good layer of fine salt all over (including the cavity). Leave it to rest for about 1 hour over a wire rack inside a tray.

STEP 2: Tighten the duck skin.

The traditional method involves basting: hold the duck over a pot of boiling water then use a ladle to pour water over the duck. I’d like to introduce an alternative, simpler way: Boil some water in the kettle then gently pour it over the entire duck skin (remember to flip over and do the other side). You can use a deep tray to collect the water, or do it inside a sink.

You’ll see the skin tightens as soon as the hot water touches it. It also looks shinier and smoother. At this stage, you might notice some remaining ends of the feathers appearing. Remove them with a pair of tweezers.

💡Tip: There’s no need to pour water into the cavity, but if any gets in accidentally, drain it out. You don’t need to add more salt after this step.

STEP 3: Coat the skin with syrup.

The key ingredient used in this step is maltose (Mai Ya Tang/麦芽糖), a type of syrup with dense, super sticky consistency that is commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It has a milder sweetness than sugar or honey but gives food a much glossier look. You should be able to find it in most of the Chinese/Asian shops.

You’ll need hot water to soften and dilute maltose and add a small amount of vinegar (any type). Evenly brush one layer over the entire duck skin. Leave to dry in the fridge for 1 hour then brush another layer. Two generous coats are enough. Discard any leftover syrup so the skin has time to dry fully before roasting.

STEP 4: Air dry the duck.

Air dry the duck uncovered in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. Make sure to place it on a rack set inside a tray to catch any drips. This process reduces the moisture in the skin thus helping to crisp up while roasting. So do not skip it.

Roast the duck

Stuff the duck

Take the duck out of the fridge about an hour before roasting. Stuff the cavity with the following ingredients: apple (any variety, skin-on), scallions, garlic (loose outer skin removed, cloves left together), star anise, cassia cinnamon and bay leaves. This adds more flavourful to the duck.

Seal both openings of the duck with toothpicks or skewers to prevent the stuffing from falling out.

Roast in two stages

For best results, I recommend you use a fan-assisted oven, aka convection oven. Preheat it at 200°C/390°F. If using a conventional oven, increase the temperature to 220°C/425°F.

Place the duck, the breast side facing up, on the middle rack of the oven. This allows the heat to travel in all directions and ensure an even browning. Remember to put a large tray on a lower shelf beneath the duck to collect any dripping fat while cooking. Leave to roast for 15 minutes.

In the second stage of roasting, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F (or 200°C/390°F if using a conventional oven). To prevent burning, cover the tip of the wings and the end of the legs with aluminium foil. Continue cooking for another 60 minutes or so.

Carve the duck

Don’t rush to carve the duck. Let it rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes so it loses less juice when you carve it and the skin stays crisp (no steam is trapped).

• Place the rested duck on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to carve.
• Carve the duck into thin slices, keeping the skin and meat intact whenever possible.
• Trim off any remaining meat around the bones to serve alongside the slices.
• Save the carcass to make a soup (see instructions below) and discard the stuffing.

How to serve

Now let’s talk about the four classic items which are served with Peking duck. They are thin pancakes, sweet bean sauce, julienned scallions and cucumber.

The pancakes

The thin pancakes used for wrapping Peking duck are called Chun Bing (春饼) in Chinese which means spring pancakes. They are also known as Peking duck pancakes or Mandarin pancakes in English. You can find them in Chinese stores (usually in the frozen food section). Defrost in the fridge then steam for a few minutes to warm up before serving.

Homemade Duck Pancakes

Learn how to make them with an efficient method.

Get the recipe →

🛎 Substitutes: Although not traditional options, you can replace duck pancakes with Gua Bao (steamed bao buns) or ready-made Chinese Spring Roll wrappers (steam to heat for serving).

How to wrap

Now you’ve got all the elements of a Peking duck meal. Bring everything to the table separately so everyone can assemble their pancakes just before eating. 

• Lay a piece of pancake on the plate or the palm of your hand. Spread some sauce over then add a few pieces of sliced duck, scallions and cucumber.
• Fold the bottom part up, then fold the left and right sides towards the centre to form a cylinder leaving the top part open.
• Give it a generous bite. I’m sure you’ll be proud of your made-from-scratch creation!

Leftover carcass

In Peking duck restaurants, waiters usually ask the diners what is their preferred way to cook the duck carcass after the meat has been sliced off. Among a few options, duck carcass soup (鸭架汤) is the most popular choice. In fact, many people would take the carcass home to make the soup later.

Simply simmer the carcass (broken into smaller pieces) in water for 30 mins or so. Add some sliced napa cabbage or winter melon to balance the taste. To make it more substantial, you can also put in some tofu pieces. Add salt and white pepper to season.

A duck breast version

In my cookbook Three Meals Four Seasons, I introduce a duck breast version. It’s even easier to make.

FAQs

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Peking Duck, An Easy Home Version (北京烤鸭)

By Wei Guo

A legendary dish made easy, this Peking duck recipe doesn’t require any special equipment or advanced skill. But it still tastes so satisfying!

Prep: 1 day d 2 hours hrs

Cook: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Before You Start

Please start preparing the duck at least 1 day before roasting.

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 duck, about 2.5kg/5.5lb
• ▢ 2 tablespoon fine salt

For the syrup

• ▢ 2 tablespoon maltose, see note 1
• ▢ 120 ml hot water, about ½ cup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vinegar, see note 2

For the stuffing

• ▢ 2 stalks scallions
• ▢ 1 head garlic
• ▢ 2 apples, quartered
• ▢ 4 star anise
• ▢ 4 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 pieces cassia cinnamon

For the sauce

• ▢ 3 tablespoon sweet bean sauce (Tian Mian Jiang/甜面酱), see note 3
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar

You also need

• ▢ Peking duck pancakes, homemade or shop-bought, 18-24 pieces depending on the size
• ▢ Scallions, julienned
• ▢ Cucumber, peeled and seeds removed, cut into sticks

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Instructions 

Prepare the duck

• Pat dry the duck with kitchen paper then rub the salt over the skin and the cavity. Put the duck over a wire rack with a tray underneath to collect any drips. Leave to rest on the counter for 1 hour.
• Bring about 1½ litres of water (about 6 cups) to a boil, then gently pour it over the entire duck skin (remember to flip over and do the other side). You can use a deep tray to collect the water, or do it inside a sink. If there are feather ends on the skin, remove them with a tweezer.
• In a bowl, mix maltose with hot water and vinegar until completely dissolved. Brush a layer of the mixture over the duck skin. Leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour then brush another layer. Two generous coats are enough, so discard any leftover syrup.
• Keep the duck refrigerated uncovered (over the rack and inside a tray) for 24 to 48 hours.

Roast the duck

• One hour before roasting, take the duck out of the fridge. Put all the stuffing ingredients (scallions, garlic, apples, star anise, cassia cinnamon and bay leaves) into the cavity. Use toothpicks or skewers to seal both openings of the cavity.
• Preheat a fan-assisted oven, aka convection oven, at 200°C/390°F (or 220°C/425°F if using a conventional oven). Put the duck over the middle rack of the oven with the breast side facing up. Place a roasting tray on a lower shelf underneath to collect any dripping fat during roasting. Leave to cook for 15 minutes.
• Then lower the temperature to 180°C/350°F (or 200°C/390°F if using a conventional oven). Use aluminium foil to cover the tip of the wings and the end of the legs. Continue cooking for a further 60 minutes or so (see note 4)
• With an instant-read thermometer, check the thickest parts of the breast and inner thigh, avoiding bone. Each reading should reach at least 74°C/165°F.

Serve the duck

• Take the duck out of the oven and leave it to rest uncovered on the counter for 15 minutes.
• While waiting, prepare the sauce. Add ½ tbsp of duck fat collected during roasting to a pan. Add sweet bean sauce and sugar. Mix and simmer over low heat until tiny bubbles appear. Transfer to a small serving dish. Whisk to fully incorporate the sauce and oil.
• Steam the pancakes for 3 minutes to warm up if they’re cold.
• Remove and discard the stuffing, then carve the duck into slices.
• When eating, spread a little sauce over a pancake, put the duck, scallions and cucumber in the middle. Wrap up into a cylinder and enjoy.

Cook a soup (optional)

• After most of the meat has been removed from the duck, boil the carcass in water to make a soup with Napa cabbage or winter melon. Simply add salt and white pepper to season.

Notes

1. It’s best to use maltose (Mai Ya Tang, 麦芽糖) but if unavailable you may replace it with honey. In this case, mix 2 parts of honey with 1 part of hot water.

2. You can use any type of vinegar available. Or use fresh lemon juice to substitute.

3. Sweet bean sauce (aka sweet flour sauce, sweet wheat sauce) is the classic choice. Possible substitutes include hoisin sauce, yellow soybean sauce, or plum sauce.

4. The roasting time may vary depending on the size of your duck and the performance of your oven. Please observe and check often. Adjust if necessary. If the skin browns too quickly, loosely cover it with foil and continue cooking until the duck reaches the required temperature.

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