# Peking Duck

Crisp skin, juicy meat, deep flavor, all wrapped up in a Mandarin-style pancake with thinly sliced cucumbers, scallions, and hoisin sauce.

- Total time: 90 min
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Category: Breakfast
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- Sichuan peppercorns
- Fennel seeds
- Star anise
- Cloves
- Cinnamon sticks
- 4 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1 small knob Freshly grated ginger
- 1 clove Freshly grated garlic
- 2 teaspoons Seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Sesame seed oil
- 1 tablespoon Chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons Smooth peanut butter
- pinches Five-spice mixture
- twist Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons Brown sugar
- 1 Head-on young Peking duck
- 4 cups Water
- 10 ounces All-purpose flour
- 2 thirds of a cup Boiling water
- Thinly sliced cucumber
- Scallions

## Instructions

1. Toast the cinnamon, clove, star anise, fennel seed, and Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until fragrant.
2. Smash the cinnamon sticks.
3. Dump everything into a dedicated spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
4. Combine 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of honey, a small knob of freshly grated ginger, a single clove of freshly grated garlic, 2 teaspoons of seasoned rice vinegar, and 2 teaspoons of sesame seed oil in a medium bowl.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce, 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter, a few solid pinches of the five-spice mixture, a good twist of freshly ground pepper, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
6. Whisk to combine, adding cornstarch as necessary to thicken.
7. Pour half of the hoisin sauce into the cavity of the duck.
8. Stitch the cavity closed using a bamboo skewer by wrapping the skin around the skewer for each stitch.
9. Fit the tip of an air compressor hose with the finger of a rubber glove that has a hole cut into it.
10. Shove the tip of the air compressor hose into the neck skin of the duck and turn on the compressor, inflating the duck and separating the skin from the meat.
11. Scald the duck in a mixture of about 4 cups of water, a quarter cup of soy sauce, and a few of the whole Chinese five-spices.
12. Bring to a boil, carefully hold the duck over top, and ladle the mixture across the skin until it takes on a golden color and the skin tightens up.
13. Rest the duck in the fridge, uncovered, for at least one day and up to three days, or use a hairdryer to rapidly dry the skin.
14. Pull out any stray feathers that the butcher might have missed.
15. Roast the duck at 350°F for 1 to 1.5 hours.
16. Add 2/3 cup of boiling water to 10 ounces of all-purpose flour.
17. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, turn it out onto a floured worktop, and knead until smooth and supple.
18. Roll into a 2-inch log and divide into 24 pieces.
19. Divide each piece in half.
20. Keep the other pieces under plastic wrap until ready to use.
21. Roll out both pieces of dough to a 3-inch round on a well-floured work surface.
22. Brush one side with a very light film of sesame seed oil.
23. Sandwich the two pieces together and roll out to a 7-9 inch pancake.
24. Toast the pancake in a dry pan until light brown spots form.
25. Remove the wings and legs of the duck.
26. Slice the breast meat into about half-inch slices.
27. Fill a pancake with duck, thinly sliced cucumber, and scallions.
28. Top with a bit of the reserved hoisin sauce.

## Equipment

- Dry skillet
- Spice grinder
- Medium bowl
- Microplane grater
- Whisk
- Bamboo skewers
- Air compressor
- Rubber glove
- Wok
- Ladle
- Hair dryer
- Oven
- Rolling pin
- Dough cutter
- Pan
- Cutting board
- Knife

## Tips

- You can keep freshly ground spices in your spice rack, and they will taste better than pre-ground spices.
- If the sauce gets too thick, add cornstarch to thicken it.
- Ideally, the duck should rest in the fridge, uncovered, for at least one day and up to three days.
- Air-drying the duck overnight or up to three days will give you darker skin and more flavorful meat.
- A very effective way to rapidly dry skin is with a hairdryer.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hez55mhB8UA
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/a4abcbce-f170-4e74-8830-72be3e967025
- Extracted: 2025-11-21

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt