Beijing duck is also known as Beijing roast duck. It is Beijing’s best and most famous dish. With a legendary taste and dining experience, not only tourists but also high-ranking government leaders make it a point to eat Beijing duck in Beijing.
Why is Beijing Duck Famous?
- Beijing duck is called “the first dish to taste in China”. It has a long history: it used to be a royal dish in medieval China and gradually spread to civil society later.
- Beijing duck was appointed as one of the national dishes for the reception of foreign guests by Premier Zhou Enlai (the first Premier of the people’s republic of China) since the 1970s. It is highly praised by heads of state, government officials, and domestic and foreign tourists.
- As Beijing is the capital of China, and Beijing roast duck is the most famous dish in Beijing, it has gained ultimate prestige as a China dish.
A Traditional Beijing Duck Cooking Method
An authentic Beijing duck can take up to three days to prepare. It is an intensely complex process with many requirements.
The duck must be of the white Beijing variety and of superior quality, a “force-fed duck” that weighs about three kilograms.
Day one: Slaughter the duck. Pluck, eviscerate, and rinse thoroughly with water. The neck bone must be removed without breaking the skin, then the duck is hung to dry overnight.
Day two: Compressed air is injected into the duck between its skin and flesh to make the skin glossy and shiny. Then, once again, it is hung to dry with a glaze added to the skin.
Day three: The duck is roasted in a wood-fired brick oven for around 40 minutes. Through using a less-smoky, hardwood fuel like fruit tree branches (pear, peach, or date branches for instance), the duck has a fruity flavor and is red. It is roasted until the skin is crackly crisp and then served immediately.
How to Cook Beijing Duck at Home in a Simpler Way
It is difficult to make a real Beijing duck at home, because it not only requires that the skin be separated from the meat by forcing pumped air between the skin and the meat, but also that it is roasted over fruit tree wood to impart a special flavor and aroma.
As these two processes are not easily implement at home, here we introduce a simpler process for cooking Beijing duck:
1. Make a small hole at the bottom of the duck and take out the viscera. Then wash the duck.
2. Place the duck on a rack. Boil a pot of boiling water, and slowly poured the hot water over the duck. Making sure to get it on all sides. The skin immediately shrinks and tightens around the duck.
3. Mix soy sauce, wine, and salt in a bowl and massage it into the duck, and then let it sit for about an hour.
4. Dilute honey with water and apply it to the duck’s skin. (This is for the crispy skin effect.) You may want to do this more than once.
5. Leave the duck on a plate uncovered, put it in the refrigerator overnight (5-6 hours) to let the skin dry out.
6. Put the duck in an oven, set the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and roast for about 40 minutes. The color of the duck will become brown and red and shiny. Serve immediately!
How to Eat Beijing Duck
- Slicing the Duck
The manner of serving and eating Beijing duck is unique. The chef presents you the whole duck before taking it away for slicing, or at some restaurants slicing it in front of your table. Each slice is very thin, containing both meat and skin.
- Condiments and Side Dishes
The condiments include sweet plum sauce, cucumber and sugar, mashed garlic and scallions. Other condiments you could add are sugar and mashed garlic; you can choose hollow sesame biscuits or mandarin pancakes as side dishes to wrap the Beijing duck meat in.
- Wrapping the Beijing Duck Slices
The best way to eat the duck is to take a pancake in one hand, then with your chopsticks pick up a slice of duck and coat it in the plum sauce. Spread the sauce onto the pancake using the duck, then add some more slices of duck and some cucumber and green onion. Finally, roll up the pancake and eat it with your hands — delicious!
Kam’s court, a chinese restaurant in Charmhaven, which was established in 1992. A friendly, family restaurant that has always been a good party place for family gatherings. We provide delicious and popular Chinese cuisine and are licensed. We invite you to come and enjoy our warm and friendly hospitality.
