
HOMEMADE CANTONESE ROASTED DUCK with Mandarin Pancake
HOMEMADE CANTONESE ROASTED DUCK with Mandarin Pancake
Duck have always a very strong flavour and have been favourite dish among my friends and family so creating a dish is a challenge, since is not an easy recipe. Require patience but the results is just amazing, I even consider opening a special Singaporean house restaurant because of this.
Total: 2 hrs 55 mins
Prep: 2 hrs
Cook: 55 mins
Marinade time: 12 hrs
Yield: Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
For the Duck:
- 1 (4 1/2 pound) duck (2 kilograms)
- 1 orange
- For the Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon ginger (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 green onion (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar (demerara sugar preferred)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine (Shaoxing preferred)
- 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1 chenpi (sun-dried tangerine peel)
For the Glaze:
- 4 tablespoons maltose syrup (or honey)
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 cup water (warm)
For the mandarin pancakes:
- 1 1/2 cups flour (200g)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup boiling water (160 ml)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cucumber (de-seeded and julienned)
- 2 scallions (julienned)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced and mixed with 1 teaspoon oil to make a paste, optional)
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- bunch of corriander leaves (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large plastic bag, mix all of the marinade ingredients: ginger, garlic, green onion, salt, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, five-spice powder, and chenpi.
- Add the duck to the marinating bag and marinate overnight to 24 hours before cooking.
- When ready to cook, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, add the maltose, rice vinegar, and water. Bring it to a boil and ensure it's completely combined. Remove from the heat.
- In a pot, bring 2 to 3 quarts of water to a boil. This water will be poured on the raw duck to make the skin crispier.
- Stuff the duck with a wine bottle and place it in a clean sink. Take a ladle to scoop some boiled water and pour it on the duck. Make sure you pour the hot water onto every part of duck. Be very careful when you are doing this procedure so you don't scald yourself. After you have done this, leave the duck to dry.
- When the duck has dried, use a brush to brush the maltose and vinegar water on every inch of the duck skin and leave it to dry. Repeat this procedure three to four times.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
- Place the duck on a roasting rack. Pierce the orange a few times then stuff it in the duck and roast the duck for 35 minutes. Then turn the oven temperature down to 355 F (180 C) and roast for another 20 minutes. Turn the duck around a few times for better results. Make sure you also baste the duck with the maltose water at least a couple times during cooking.
- Remove the duck from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Place it on a chopping board and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Prepare mandarin pancakes:
- Mix the flour and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling hot water into the flour mixture and use chopsticks or a spatula to mix until a dough ball forms. Once it is cool enough to handle, knead the dough for 8 minutes until smooth, adding flour if the dough is too sticky. Cover with plastic and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
- Roll the dough into a cylinder and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a dough ball, then flatten them out into a small disc about 2 inches in diameter. Lightly brush 6 of the discs with oil, ensuring the sides of the discs are also brushed with oil. Layer the remaining 6 discs over the 6 oiled discs so you have 6 pieces, each comprised of 2 discs.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the discs into 7-inch circles, flipping the pancakes frequently so both of the dough discs are rolled into the same size.
- Heat a wok or frying pan over medium low heat, and place one pancake into the pan. After 30 to 45 seconds, you should see air pockets begin to form between the two pancakes. Flip the pancake; it should be white with just a couple of faint brown patches. Any more than that, and they are overcooked. After another 30 seconds, the air pockets should be large enough to separate the two pancakes. Remove the pancake to a plate, and let it cool for another 30 seconds. Now carefully pull apart the two pancakes at the seams. Place finished pancakes onto a plate and cover with a warm kitchen towel. Repeat until all pancakes are done.
- The pancakes can be reheated in a steamer for about a minute when ready to serve. They also keep in the freezer for up to 3 weeks if you decide to make a larger batch.
- Serve with mandarin pancake