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| Peking duck. |
Viet Nam News
Does anything get golden brown, crispier, or duckier than Peking duck? When properly prepared, the deeply flavoured skin should crackle and crunch with the slightest touch of your teeth, and the meat (more of an afterthought, really) should be moist, tender, and flavourful. Yum!
Ingredients: serves 4
For the duck:
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 6 tsp honey
- 4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
For the sauce:
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 6 tsp hoisin sauce
- 6 tsp superfine sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 package Chinese/Mandarin-style pancakes, to serve
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- For garnish:
- 3 scallions, sliced into long thin strips
- 1 cucumber, cored and sliced into long thin strips.
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| Chef Tuan. |
Method:
For the duck:
- Prick the duck all over with a small knife or fork. Carefully pour hot water over the duck to rinse. Discard the hot water. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and dry all over with paper towels. Sprinkle the duck with salt and pepper and leave it in the roasting pan until ready to cook.
- In a small bowl, mix together the honey, 6 tablespoons water, five-spice, soy sauce and brown sugar. Brush the duck all over, inside and out. Let dry for about 10 minutes and then brush again.
- Repeat this process until you have used all but 4 to 5 tablespoons of the glaze (reserve this glaze). Let the glaze marinate on the duck overnight, leaving it uncovered in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 176oC. Place the duck in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Flip the duck over, baste with the reserved glaze and cook until the skin is crisp and golden brown, another 45 minutes.
- When the duck is cooked, remove from the oven and let rest while you make your sauce.
For the sauce:
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water and set aside. Next, heat a pan or wok over a medium heat and add the hoisin, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce.
- When the sauce starts to bubble slightly, add the cornstarch mixture and stir well to thicken. Set aside and let cool. Carve and slice some duck. Place a teaspoon of the sauce in the centre of each pancake, add a couple slices of duck, garnish with the scallions and cucumbers and serve immediately.
You can enjoy the dish at Fortuna Hotel, 6B Lang Ha St, Ba Dinh Dist, Ha Noi. Tel: (84 – 4) 3831 3333 – 6435/6437/6413. Website: pr@fortuna.gvn | fortuna.vn.
OVietnam