Chinese Style Roast Duck Food

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Rinse the duck inside and out, and pat dry. Cut off tail and discard. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper and cloves. Sprinkle one teaspoon of the mixture into the cavity of the duck. Stir one tablespoon of the soy sauce into the remaining spice mixture and rub evenly over the entire outside of the bird. Cut one of the green onions in half and tuck inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate the bird for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Place duck breast side up on a rack in a big enough wok or pot and steam for an hour adding a little more water, if necessary, as it evaporates. Lift duck with two large spoons, and drain juices and green onion.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place duck breast side up in a roasting pan and prick skin all over using a fork.
• Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. While the duck is roasting, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and honey. After 30 minutes, brush the honey mixture onto the duck and return it to the oven. Turn the heat up to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Roast for 5 minutes, or until the skin is richly browned. Do not allow the skin to char.
• Prepare the duck sauce by mixing the plum jam with the sugar, vinegar and chutney in a small serving bowl. Chop remaining green onions and place them into a separate bowl. Place whole duck onto a serving platter and garnish with orange slices and fresh parsley. Use plum sauce and onions for dipping.

CHINATOWN STEAMED AND ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Duck is notoriously a fatty bird, to diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the neck and body. Rinse the duck, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Salt and five-spice powder makes a fragrant dry marinade, which draws some of the moisture from the duck so that the spices penetrate. Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics: the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel. Fold the wing tips back under the duck and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Poke the duck breast a few times, piercing the skin.
• Place a roasting pan on the stovetop over 2 burners and fill with 2-inches of water, turn the heat to medium. Set a V-rack insert inside the pan and lay the duck on the rack, breast-side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking the water level periodically. Steaming the duck first melts away some of the fat and shrinks the skin.
• In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce over low heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until thick. The duck will be lacquered with the sweet glaze, which caramelizes during roasting, making the skin crisp and brown.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Take the foil off the duck, remove the rack with the duck, and pour out the water and all the fat that has rendered out (this is great to use in other dishes like fried rice.) Put the rack with the duck back inside the roasting pan. Baste the duck with the vinegar mixture, until all the skin is completely coated in the glaze. Stick the whole thing in the oven. Roast the duck for 1 hour, basting periodically with any remaining glaze to set in a deep mahogany color. Tent the breast with some foil if it gets too dark. The legs will wiggle easily when it's done. Carve and serve.

CHINESE ROAST DUCK WITH PANCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Loosen the skin on the duck by wriggling first your fingers, then your hand between it and the flesh until it pulls away - be careful not to break the skin. Trim off any excess fat from cavity and skin around the neck. Rub the skin all over with the five-spice plus a good sprinkling of salt. Put the duck in a roasting tin and push the star anise, orange peel and orange halves inside. Spoon the vinegar, rice wine and stock into the cavity, don't worry if it spills out again. Cover the roasting tin with a tent of foil and cook for 2 hrs.
• Turn oven up to 240C/220C fan/gas 7. Take foil off, pour off any juices (keep for the noodles, see 'Goes well with') and return duck to the oven for 30-40 mins or until the skin is browned and crisp.
• Once cooked let it rest for 10 mins. Slice off the breasts and shred meat and skin. Pile onto a plate, keeping meat and skin separate. Keep warm in a low oven, covering meat with foil to stop it drying out but skin uncovered to crisp it further. (Remove the rest of the meat in chunks for the noodles - see 'Goes well with'.)
• Heat the pancakes and serve the duck with accompaniments.

CHINESE ''ROAST'' DUCK

Steps:

• Cut duck as you would a chicken, into 6 or 8 serving pieces; discard wing tips, back and neck, or reserve to make stock. Place duck, skin side down, in a 12-inch skillet over high heat and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. When duck begins to sizzle, cover skillet and turn heat to medium. After 15 minutes, turn duck and season skin side. After 15 more minutes, uncover skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Cook duck, turning as necessary, so that it browns nicely on both sides; this will take another 15 minutes or so.
• Remove duck to a plate and pour off all but a tablespoon of fat; leave any solids in pan. Over medium-high heat, add rice wine and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce and 2 tablespoons water and bring to a boil; stir in remaining ingredients. Once mixture starts bubbling, return duck to skillet and cook, turning it frequently until sauce is thick and duck is well-glazed, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove duck, then scoop solid spices out of sauce. Spoon sauce over duck and serve.

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Rub salt and chinese flower pepper on duck (inside and outside) and put green onions in the cavity.
• Keep in refrigerator for 24 hours, take out 2 hours before baking.
• Preheat oven to 450*.
• Bake 45 minutes at 450* on roasting pan rack with breast up; reduce heat to 350* and continue baking 1 hour more.
• Mix honey, soy sauce, and sherry.
• Baste duck with sauce mixture; continue baking 30 minutes more; brushing 3 times until mixture is gone.
• Remove duck and let cool 40 minutes.
• Cut duck into bite-sized pieces; arrange pieces on platter.
• Serve hot or cold.

CHINESE ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• The day before, soak 4 wooden skewers in water for 20 mins. Wash the ducks inside and out with cold water, drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Mix together the sugar, star anise, ginger, spring onions and a few good pinches of salt, then use this to fill the cavities. Close the cavities with wooden skewers and set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the maltose and 2 tbsp of the vinegar. Add the remaining vinegar to a jug of boiling water and pour over the ducks. (The boiling water opens up the pores, while the vinegar helps to strip some of the waxiness from the skin, so it will be more receptive to the maltose, which adds sweetness and a lacquered caramel colour.) Smear the maltose mixture over the ducks, then place them in a large plastic container and put in the fridge overnight, uncovered.
• To cook, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. (Fan ovens are particularly effective for roasting duck.) Put a little water in the bottom of a large roasting tin, place the ducks on a rack over the top and cover with foil. Roast for about 45 mins. Take off the foil and roast for another 45 mins - the duck must be well done, there is no such thing as a rare Chinese roast duck! Take the duck out of the oven and let it rest for a good 20 mins before carving.
• The day before, soak 4 wooden skewers in water for 20 mins. Wash the ducks inside and out with cold water, drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Mix together the sugar, star anise, ginger, spring onions and a few good pinches of salt, then use this to fill the cavities. Close the cavities with wooden skewers and set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the maltose and 2 tbsp of the vinegar. Add the remaining vinegar to a jug of boiling water and pour over the ducks. (The boiling water opens up the pores, while the vinegar helps to strip some of the waxiness from the skin, so it will be more receptive to the maltose, which adds sweetness and a lacquered caramel colour.) Smear the maltose mixture over the ducks, then place them in a large plastic container and put in the fridge overnight, uncovered.
• To cook, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. (Fan ovens are particularly effective for roasting duck.) Put a little water in the bottom of a large roasting tin, place the ducks on a rack over the top and cover with foil. Roast for about 45 mins. Take off the foil and roast for another 45 mins - the duck must be well done, there is no such thing as a rare Chinese roast duck! Take the duck out of the oven and let it rest for a good 20 mins before carving.

AUTHENTIC CHINESE 5-SPICE PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• thaw duck overnight in refrigerator.
• remove giblets and trim excess fat from tail area or anywhere hanging.
• pierce chopstick or skewer under wing and bring through to other side to pierce through under the other wing on the other side in order to give you a way to dunk and hang duck. wings may be removed if desired.
• in large wok or pot bring water to a boil.
• add in ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, xiao xing, and honey and stir to dissolve honey completely.
• make a slurry with cornstarch (mix with water) then add to boiling mixture.
• dunk duck into boiling mixture and spoon liquid over duck for a couple of minutes making sure you completely moisten duck and render some fat.
• repeat process for another couple of minutes.
• immediately hang duck in cool room with a fan on high pointed directly on duck. make sure you put a pot or similar under duck to catch drippings.
• rotate duck to ensure even drying. should take about 5 hours. skin will become taunt and tight.
• after 4-6 hours, rub duck with 5-spice powder to taste.
• heat oven to 375 degrees.
• place duck onto roasting or cooling rack on middle or top rack of oven with a large pan filled with about 2 inches of water on bottom rack of a 375 degree oven. this will catch any drippings, keep your oven clean, and keep duck moist.
• roast uncovered for about 1-1 1/2 hours rotating it 2-3 times.
• check internal temperature for doneness. mine was perfect at 175 degrees in the breast. note that convection ovens will cook duck quite fast.
• remove duck and rest 10 minutes before serving whole or chopping Chinese style on the bone.

ROAST WILD DUCK

Steps:

• Wash and dry duck thoroughly.
• Rub the insides with salt. Fill the cavity with chopped apples and raisins.
• Cover the breasts with bacon slices.
• Roast the duck in moderate 325 degrees oven for 20 minutes to the pound.
• Duck can be seasoned more with salt and paprika if desired.