Peking duck – history, ingredients, sauce, cooking, serving

Peking duck (Chinese: 北京烤鴨 Běijīng kǎo yā) is one of the most famous dishes of Chinese cuisine. In China, the duck is considered a symbol of happiness and the male beginning of Yang. The recipe for Peking duck became widely known during the reign of the Yuan Dynasty, when in 1330 the physician and nutritionist responsible for the emperor’s diet, Hu Xihui, published it in his seminal work “The Most Important Principles of Nutrition.” This recipe is believed to have originated in Shandong Province. The dish was popular at the Yuan Court in Beijing, which is why it spread everywhere with its current name.

Here is the recipe for cooking Peking duck:

Ingredients:

1 duck (preferably weighing about 2-2.5 kg)
4 liters of water
6 tablespoons of honey
6 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of oil (sunflower or corn)
2 tablespoons of rice or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
6-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 piece of ginger about 5 cm in size, finely chopped
Ready-made bottled or dough cakes (for example, tangerines or tortillas)
Fresh vegetables for decoration (for example, onion, cucumber, parsley)

Preparing the duck: Wash the duck, remove the entrails and fry over high heat until golden. Then place the duck in a large bowl.

Pickling Sauce: Combine water, honey, soy sauce, oil, vinegar, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Mix well and pour this sauce over the duck. Cover the bowl and leave the duck to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (but preferably overnight).

Duck rubbed with honey for color, cooked in a special oven. The duck is cooked from the inside, for which water is poured inside the bird, and the outside is baked, hanging on a hook in the oven. It is worth noting that the bird is fried on cherry wood, which is stacked in a special way so that the meat is fried evenly.

If the Peking duck is prepared in the oven, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Wipe the duck clean of any remaining marinade, place it on a rack in the oven and roast for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the duck is ruby golden.

Serving: Place the duck on the table, cut into pieces, and serve with flatbreads, fresh vegetables, and hoisin or soy sauce-based sauce.

Let this dish cheer you up and delight you with its flavors!