do try this at home!
i first had it as a teenager, at the eponymous restaurant on mott street, new york city chinatown, where it was served with a flourish by 2 waiters: one with a saber to shave off the slices of skin, another to serve soup made with the carcass and stir fried duck meat dish.
ever since, i have been trying to replicate the appetizer “duck taco” at home. my kids are absolutely besotted with it. the “authentic” recipe calls for a sweet pasty rub to paint all over the duck (usually a combination of maltose, sugar, hoisin and soy sauce)and a prolonged period of air drying. i found that it more often than not resulted in blackened as opposed to crispy sweet skin.
so back and forth i went to the drawing board. then i saw nigella’s recipe last week in the new york times dining edition.
the nigella way to roast duck
it just might be the end of the search.
preheat oven to 325F. salt duck all over, inside and out. set duck on upright roaster and roast for 3 hours.
raise heat to 400F and roast 30 minutes more. skin gets really crispy. (save the rendered fat to pan fry potatoes for a heavenly yet sinful treat.)
steam a package of frozen moo shu shells in a bamboo steamer for about 12 minutes. carve skin and meat in thin slices off the duck and serve with slivers of scallions and julienned cucumbers.
slather hoisin sauce (koon chun or lee kum kee brands) over moo shu shell and arrange duck and cucumbers and scallions. fold up bottom and sides and bite.
it is a fun way to share a meal with family and friends.
February 6th, 2005 at 9:13 pm
Oh, man, you are making me want to try attempting this at home. You make it look so easy! Duck still intimidates me though. Haven’t tried making it at home yet, much less Peking Duck.
You give me hope, though. I still might get the nerve up to try it. :)
February 6th, 2005 at 10:39 pm
a duck’s tale
in stel’s oven there is
a headless duck genuflecting;
its lifeless body golden
brown and skin crispycrunchy
still pleading to be set free;
but, no, its fate had been written
that it was to be eaten-
torn to pieces skin and flesh
wrapped in pitas and tortillas
and moo shu shells-
by the great munchkin dash.
hmmnn.. sarap nito stel naalala ko tuloy chinatown sa manila na maraming nakasabit na golden brown na ducks sa eskaparate. sabi ko sa tatay ko nung maliit pa ‘ko ayaw ko silang kainin dahil pugot lahat ang ulo hahaha.
February 7th, 2005 at 12:07 am
Hats off to you Stel..that was one good looking duck!
we had this last saturday at a friend’s chinese restaurant and I asked him where I could find the ‘pancakes’(that’s how they call them here)because I really would like to try and make this…since it’s really a favorite
now all I need is the guts to try and make it.
February 7th, 2005 at 6:20 am
JMom: it’s very easy really! my kittens can’t get enough of it. sige na try, all you need is a jar of hoisin sauce and the mu shu shells.
Atinna! that’s a priceless tula! haha mukha ngang nagdadasal si pato ano?, salamat naman inday. if ever our paths cross iluluto ko ito for you. when i buy the fresh duck it’s whole. this chinese new year everything must be whole too, heads fins tails ears..for luck.
Thessiree (hehe ganda ng binyag sa iyo ni tita atinna) i have a recipe for the pancakes too email ko sa iyo, it’s just flour and water. trulily.
when i roast this the fragrance of the duck meat permeates the house, talagang nakakatakam!
February 7th, 2005 at 6:21 am
i’ve always wanted to prepare this at home but since the recipe i have looks sooo complicated, i have no guts, i don’t want my effort to end up in the trash can…again.
but hey, your recipe (or nigella’s ^_^), looks easy and the best part is it looks delicious!
merci stel! ^_^
February 7th, 2005 at 6:30 am
bon jour madame bokbok! i always seemed to burn the duckskin whenever i tried cookbook recipes . so i figured, i just want a duck w/ crispy skin so just roast it. puwidi na–i was driven by “budget constraints” hehe. (they charge so much for a peking duck meal eh). there’s even a French restaurant here that charges $60 for a roast for TWO diners…!!!que horror! horrible! *himatay*
February 7th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
So how was the duck, Stel? Is it better or the same as the resto versions? Mahirap bang gawin? Daming tanong ano? Hehehe!
February 8th, 2005 at 5:30 am
tita cK hola hola!
i measure the success of my dishes by the “acid test”..kids eat it or not. they eat this, with gusto. they don’t even put hoisin sauce, heehee.