Peking duck: recipe

Various sources indicate different epochs of the most famous Chinese dish - the Peking duck, the recipe for its preparation provides for a special breed of these waterfowl, whose representatives can gain 5-6 kilograms. Usually the same individuals are used, having reached a weight of 2-3 kg, since in this condition they have the most tender meat.

Unfortunately, we do not have such ducks, and therefore 100% conformity with the taste of the specialty dish, as it is done in Beijing, will not be achieved under any conditions. Consoles the fact that in China itself, when the duck is cooked in Beijing, the recipe is often not respected.

There is no point in describing the traditional recipe, because hardly anyone at home has a full set of equipment for accurate follow-up. In this context, we are interested in the question of how to cook a duck in Beijing at home. Adapted to the Russian cuisine, the recipe, of course, will not result in a complete identity to the famous taste, but, in the end, every housewife even has the taste of simple cutlets. And all the same cutlets remain cutlets.

We choose a duck of a standard size - 2-3 kg, most likely it will be frozen. Thaw it slowly, first in the refrigerator and only then at room temperature. Let this process last at least a day, rush at this stage is completely superfluous. While our future duck is being defrosted in Beijing, the recipe calls for the purchase of all the ingredients that we will need soon. And there will be many of them.

We will need: honey, not candied; Soy sauce, which is darker and thicker; bow; lemon; Ground ginger; Sesame oil; And a bottle of sherry.

Since we bought a duck in the store, it is not necessary to disembowel it, for it is already ready in this sense. It will be necessary to cut off the sharp tips of the wings. We take an average pot, pour a liter and a half of water and put it on the fire. Add to the water two onions, cut in half, large slices of lemon, two to three tablespoons of honey, ginger, a glass of sherry and grams of 50 soy sauce. Boil the mixture for 20 minutes.

Now we return to our duck, it is good to have a hook for which it can be hung to avoid scalding. We hold the duck by the hook over a cup and scald it with the prepared mixture. A delicious dish does not happen fast, especially if it is Chinese. Now the duck should be sent to the fridge, it's best if it keeps its vertical position there, you can hang it in some way inside the refrigerator for the hook, or you can put it on the bottle, not with the remains of sherry, which can already be used for its intended purpose . Do not forget to place a container under the duck, where the blood will drain.

After 10 hours we remove the duck from the refrigerator, grease with a mixture of honey, sesame oil and soy sauce and send it back to the refrigerator for an hour. So it's time to fry, not even a day has passed. The extremities of the duck are covered with foil, so as not to burn. We put it on the grate in the oven, always place a pan with water under the grate. The fry begins at T = 250C, then gradually reduce to T = 180C for one and a half hours. Our duck is ready in Beijing, the restaurant, perhaps, will not be crazy about it, but, as they say, the exercises were held in conditions equivalent to combat ones.

But that's not all, you have to bake unleavened cakes. They are made as follows: the flour is boiled with boiling water, steeply kneaded, rolled a tourniquet 4 cm thick and cut into equal pieces. From each piece a ball is formed, dipped in sesame oil, combined with another ball and rolled both into a thin cake. It turns out to be a two-layered one. Grilling cakes without butter on a well-heated frying pan, it is better if it is non-stick coating.

As a seasoning, I would advise you to limit yourself to soy sauce "Haysin" without any additives.

When the duck is ready in Peking, the recipe suggests cutting it into small, thin pieces, and the skin is cut apart. Now take a flat cake, divide it in two, put a few pieces of duck and green onions on it, before dipping everything in the sauce. Fold out a cake and ... Bon appetit!