Peking Duck (Home Method)
China's most celebrated roast — lacquered, crispy-skinned duck served with thin pancakes, spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce.
About This Recipe
Peking duck is one of the world's great roasts and China's most internationally famous dish. In a traditional Peking duck restaurant, the duck is inflated with air to separate the skin from the fat, blanched, coated with maltose syrup, air-dried for 24–72 hours and then roasted in a wood-fired oven. The result is a paper-thin, shatteringly crispy skin. A home version cannot replicate this exactly, but a technique of blanching, coating and air-drying produces remarkably similar results. The duck is carved tableside and served exclusively as skin and thin slivers of meat wrapped in thin mandarin pancakes with julienned spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 2 kgwhole duck
- 3 tbspmaltose or honey
- 2 tbsprice vinegar
- 1 tbspsoy sauce
- 1 tspChinese five-spice powder
- 20thin mandarin pancakes
- 4 tbsphoisin sauce to serve
- 4spring onions, julienned, to serve
- 0.5cucumber, julienned, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Prep the duck
Remove giblets. Using a skewer or fork, prick the skin all over (do not pierce the flesh). Blanch the whole duck in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and pat dry.
- 2
Coat and air-dry
Mix maltose, vinegar, soy and five-spice. Brush the duck all over with this glaze. Hang the duck uncovered in a cool, dry, airy place for 24 hours (or in the fridge, uncovered, on a rack), turning occasionally. The skin should dry out completely and feel papery.
- 3
Roast
Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Place duck breast-side up on a rack over a roasting tray with 2 cm of water. Roast for 45 minutes. Increase heat to 230°C (445°F) and roast for 20–25 minutes more until the skin is deep mahogany and crackling.
- 4
Rest
Rest the duck for 10 minutes.
- 5
Carve and serve
Use a very sharp knife to slice the skin with thin slivers of meat. Serve on a warm plate with warm mandarin pancakes, hoisin sauce, spring onion and cucumber. Each diner wraps their own.
Pro Tips
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The drying step is the most critical — the skin must be completely dry before roasting. Don't rush this.
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Prick only the skin, not the flesh — you want the subcutaneous fat to render out, not the juices.
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A hairdryer set to cool can accelerate the drying if you are short on time.
Variations
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The carcass makes an extraordinary soup stock after carving — simmer for 2 hours with ginger and spring onion.
Storage
Best eaten immediately. Leftover duck can be shredded and used in fried rice or noodles.
History & Origin
Peking duck has been eaten in Beijing since at least the Yuan Dynasty (13th century). It was refined into its current form in the Ming Dynasty imperial kitchens. The Quanjude restaurant, founded in 1864, is considered the birthplace of the modern Peking duck tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find mandarin pancakes?
Asian grocery stores or online. They can also be made at home — they are simple thin wheat pancakes cooked in a dry pan.
Can I skip the air-drying?
Reducing the drying time drastically reduces skin crispness. Even 4–6 hours produces noticeably better results than none.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · 4 servings total
Time Summary
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