How to Make Peking Duck — The Authentic Beijing Imperial Recipe

Overview

This video unveils the authentic Beijing Imperial recipe for Peking Duck, detailing traditional techniques from the historic Quanjude restaurant. It covers the crucial steps of air-pump skin separation, maltose lacquering, a 24-36 hour drying hang, precise fruitwood-fired roasting, and the masterful 108-120 slice carve. Viewers will learn to create the signature crackling glass-thin amber skin and assemble it with homemade Mandarin pancakes and classic accompaniments.

Ingredients

• 1 young Pekin breed duck (about 4.5 pounds dressed)
• Kitchen twine
• 1 cup malt-sugar maltose syrup
• 0.5 cup water (for maltose glaze)
• 0.25 cup clear white vinegar
• 2 cups water (for roasting tray)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (for Mandarin pancakes)
• 0.75 cup boiling water (for Mandarin pancakes)
• Sesame oil
• 4 scallions
• 0.5 long English cucumber
• Small bowl dark fragrant hoisin sauce or sweet bean paste tianmianjiang
• Fine white sugar (for first duck piece)

Instructions

1. Insert a thin tube under the skin at the base of the duck's neck and gently pump air between the skin and breast muscle until the skin balloons away from the meat.
2. Tie the neck shut with kitchen twine to trap the air.
3. Pour two full kettles of boiling water (212°F / 100°C) over the entire bird to tighten the pores.
4. In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together 1 cup of malt-sugar maltose syrup with 0.5 cup of water and 0.25 cup of clear white vinegar until smooth to create the glaze.
5. Brush the entire duck with three full coats of the maltose glaze, allowing it to dry completely between coats.
6. Hang the duck by the neck in a cool, dry, well-ventilated room (e.g., a refrigerator with the door propped open) for a minimum of 24 hours, ideally 36 hours, until the skin is completely dry and tight like parchment.
7. Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C).
8. Place the duck breast-up on a rack over a deep tray containing 2 cups of water, positioning it on the lowest rack of the oven. Do not stuff the duck.
9. Roast the duck for 45 minutes at 475°F (245°C).
10. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (205°C) and roast for an additional 30 minutes.
11. Remove the duck from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
12. For Mandarin pancakes, combine 2 cups flour with 0.75 cup boiling water, knead for 5 minutes, then let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
13. Roll the pancake dough into thin 6-inch rounds, brushing sesame oil between two rounds at a time. Dry-fry in a hot pan for 30 seconds per side, then peel apart.
14. Slice 4 scallions into 3-inch julienned thin slivers and soak them for 10 minutes in ice water for crispness.
15. Slice 0.5 long English cucumber into matching julienned slivers.
16. Using a thin, razor-sharp slicing knife, carve 108 to 120 paper-thin pieces from the duck, starting at the breast, slicing down at a 45-degree angle, 0.25 inch thick and 1.5 inches long, ensuring each slice contains both skin and meat.
17. Arrange the duck slices in two concentric circles on a warm porcelain plate.
18. To assemble: Hold one warm Mandarin pancake, paint a 1-tablespoon stripe of hoisin or tianmianjiang down the center. Lay two scallion slivers and two cucumber slivers across the sauce. Top with two slices of crisp duck skin and one slice of meat.
19. Fold the pancake bottom up to seal in the sauce, then fold the two sides over to form a small open-top wrap.
20. Eat the first crispest piece of duck skin dipped in fine white sugar alone.

In this video

• Peking duck originated in Yuan Dynasty imperial kitchens around 1300 and was formalized under the Ming Dynasty by 1530.
• The legendary Quanjude restaurant, opened in 1864, standardized the modern method of hung oven, fruitwood fire, and lacquer skin.
• The air-pump separation technique inflates the skin from the meat, allowing fat to render outward during roasting instead of steaming.
• A maltose glaze made from 1 cup maltose syrup, 0.5 cup water, and 0.25 cup white vinegar is brushed onto the bird in three coats.
• Hanging the duck in a cool, dry, well-ventilated space for 24 to 36 hours is the most important step for achieving dry, parchment-like skin.
• The duck is roasted in a preheated oven at 475°F (245°C) for 45 minutes, then at 400°F (205°C) for 30 minutes, totaling 75 minutes of cook time.
• The classical carve produces 108 to 120 paper-thin slices, each a perfect rectangle of crisp skin attached to a wafer of meat.
• The crispest first piece of duck skin is traditionally dipped in fine white sugar and eaten alone to honor the skin.
• Mandarin pancakes are made from 2 cups flour and 0.75 cup boiling water, rolled thin, and dry-fried for thirty seconds per side.
• Accompaniments include julienned scallions soaked in ice water, julienned English cucumber, and dark hoisin sauce or sweet bean paste.

Frequently asked questions

How long should Peking duck be hung before roasting?

The duck should be hung in a cool, dry, well-ventilated room for a minimum of 24 hours, ideally 36 hours, to allow the skin to become completely dry and tight like parchment. This is the single most important step for crisp skin.

What is the purpose of the air-pump skin separation for Peking duck?

The air-pump separation technique inserts air between the skin and breast muscle, causing the skin to balloon away from the meat. This ensures the skin renders its fat outward during roasting, creating a crackling texture instead of steaming the meat.

What is the traditional cooking temperature and time for Peking duck in a home oven?

For a home oven, preheat to 475°F (245°C) and roast for 45 minutes. Then, drop the temperature to 400°F (205°C) and roast for an additional 30 minutes, for a total of 75 minutes.

What ingredients are in the maltose glaze for Peking duck?

The maltose glaze, or lacquer, is made by whisking together 1 cup of malt-sugar maltose syrup with 0.5 cup of water and 0.25 cup of clear white vinegar over low heat until smooth.

What are the traditional accompaniments for Peking duck?

Traditional accompaniments include 24 homemade Mandarin pancakes, 3-inch julienned scallion slivers soaked in ice water, matching julienned English cucumber slivers, and a small bowl of dark hoisin sauce or sweet bean paste.