Enjoying Beijing Roast Duck
How the Traditional Chinese Cuisine is Prepared and Eaten
Learn about the various aspects of the famous Beijing roast duck (or Peking duck), including the roasting process and how to savor it.
A visit to Beijing is not complete unless one savors the roast duck (also known as the Peking duck), which is a traditional cuisine and a Chinese classic delicacy.
Preparation:
The duck is first defeathered, disemboweled and washed before the body cavity is filled with water and stitched up. After the skin is air dried, the duck is brushed with a layer of sugar solution before being roasted.
Roasting:
The duck is usually put to roast only upon the customer’s order. The original method, which dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), uses the conventional convection oven. As the oven is closed, the meat of the roast duck is tender but the skin is not that crispy. Very few restaurants use this method nowadays.
The second method was introduced during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) and has been widely adopted by most restaurants. The ducks are placed on wooden skewers, hung up and roasted while being frequently turned in an open oven.
For fuel, hardwood such as jujube tree, peach or pear wood are used. These firewood emits very small amounts of smoke and produces flames that are steady and easy to control. More importantly, they add a faint and pleasant aroma to the duck.
Another critical factor is the skills of the chef. Besides controlling the fire and the timing, he has to ensure that the duck is evenly exposed to the open flames. This ensures that the skin becomes golden brown and crispy, while the meat remains soft and tender. This process typically takes about forty minutes.
Eating:
The dish is served with several condiments, including bao bing (thin steamed pan cakes), sweet bean sauce, spring onion slices and cucumber sticks. In addition, some restaurants serve small hollow buns, fine sugar, mashed garlic, turnip slices and finely-chopped pickles.
When the duck is ready, it is brought to the table on a trolley and the chef deftly slices the skin and meat in front of the customer. The skin is served first. Eaten as is or dipped in fine sugar, it is crispy and melts in the mouth.
The thin slices of meat are served next. The meat can be dipped in the sweet bean sauce and eaten as is. Slices of meat can also be placed on the bao bing, together with some spring onion slices, cucumber sticks and mashed garlic. The bao bing is then wrapped up into a roll and eaten like a tortilla. These ingredients can also be placed inside the bun and eaten like a burger. The various side dishes like cucumber sticks and pickles help to cleanse the palate and reduce the feeling of greasiness.
After most of the meat has been sliced out, the remains can be cooked based on the customer’s preference. Stir-frying with salt and pepper and deep-frying are popular choices. Soup brewed using the duck bones is also served as a side dish.
Price:
Most of the well-established restaurants charge between 140 – 200 yuan (US$20 – 28) for a roast duck, which serves 3 – 4 persons. Most restaurants also serve a half portion, which is sufficient for 2 persons.
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