A dish cooked and eaten in Beijing since the Imperial era, today Peking duck is a Chinese restaurant favourite across the world. There are countless methods of preparing and cooking the duck, but originally it was roasted in a closed oven until the kitchens of the Qing Dynasty developed the open-oven style to cook several ducks at the same time. The duck is then served with steamed Chinese pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and sweet bean sauce.
Cuisine:
ChineseRecipe Type:
DuckDifficulty:
EasyPreparation Time:
10 minsCooking Time:
60 minsServes:
22 duck legs, around 450g/6oz (we like field&flower)
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic granules
Preheat your oven to 180°C/356°F/gas mark 4 and remove the duck legs from the fridge about 20 mins before you want to cook them.
Prick the skin of the duck legs all over with a fork or skewer.
In a bowl, mix together your five spice, garlic and salt, then rub over the duck legs.
Place the duck legs in an ovenproof dish and cook for about 60 mins. Leave them in a little longer if they haven’t crisped up enough.
While the duck is cooking, prepare your cucumber and spring onions.
Once the duck is cooked, leave it to rest for about 10 mins then shred the meat using two forks or your fingers.
Serve the shredded duck with the hoisin sauce, pancakes, cucumber and spring onions on the side.