Peking duck with pancakes recipe

By Lizzie Kamenetzky

Serves 4-6
Takes 10 minutes to make, 1¾ hours to cook, plus drying
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Peking duck was a favourite dish of the imperial Ming Dynasty, and nowadays is one of our nation's favourite takeaways! Why not create your own version at home?

Ingredients

2.2kg free-range duck (preferably peking, if you can get it)
1 tbsp chinese five-spice powder
2 tsp sea salt
2 star anise
5 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp light soy sauce
5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
100ml rice vinegar

To serve

16 chinese pancakes (from some supermarkets or asian food shops), warmed
Hoisin or plum sauce
Bunch spring onions, shredded
½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and cut into matchsticks

Method

1. Discard the giblets of the duck and release the legs from the string. Wash the duck, pat dry with kitchen paper, then loosely wrap in baking paper and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, to allow it to dry out.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°c/fan 200°c/gas 7. Prick the skin of the duck all over with a fork. Place on a wire rack over the sink and pour over boiling water, then pat dry inside and out with kitchen paper.
3. Rub the five-spice and salt over and inside the duck, then place the star anise in the cavity. Pour a little cold water into the bottom of a roasting tin and place the duck on a wire rack over the top. Roast on the top shelf of the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make a glaze by heating the honey, soy sauce, ginger and rice vinegar in a pan with 200ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until you have a thick, glossy mixture.
5. Brush the skin of the duck with half the glaze. Roast for 15 minutes, then brush with the remaining glaze and roast for a further 15 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°c/fan160°c/gas 4 and cook the duck for 1 hour. If the skin becomes too dark, cover it with foil. The duck is cooked if the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
7. Carve the meat from the duck, then shred or slice. Allow each guest to take a warmed pancake, spread a little hoisin or plum sauce in the centre, add a little spring onion, cucumber and shredded duck, then roll up and eat.