Peking roast duck

Home made Peking duck

Peking duck, the one dish which makes me so proud. In fact, not everyone is a fan of Chinese food, but everyone loves Peking duck. You might have never been to China, but you must have heard of Peking duck. I have always believed it until a family friend from Germany told me that he had Shanghai duck on the other day. Although it made me laugh so hard, he mightn’t be so wrong. If there is Peking duck, why couldn’t there be Shanghai duck? There is Nanjing duck at least, the city where I’m from. According to Wiki, Peking duck is actually originated from the Nanjing roasted duck. Nanjing is only 1-hour train ride from Shanghai.

I couldn’t blame him. I have never heard of Kase Spaetzle before neither. Authentic Chinese cuisine simply doesn’t exist in a small German town. Most of the Chinese take-out restaurants here are owned by Thai or Vietnamese. One of the most popular dishes in Asian restaurants here in Germany is a crispy duck on fried rice. The duck is deep fried instead of roasted. It’s very yummy as well, but I’m sorry it’s just not the real deal.

Dry your duck
A great piece of steak needs time to temper, a tasty chicken stew takes the time to marinate, a crispy Peking duck costs at least 1 day to glaze and wind dry. It reminds me a video from James Oliver on Instagram. It says time equals yum. It’s so true. Cooking isn’t only about working with the ingredients but also working with time. I have seen people drying their ducks for days before roasting. Yet, for everyday people, it’s very unlikely to have the proper equipment to dry fresh meat for days at home. So dry your duck when it’s still cold, preferably below 20-degree celsius. Leave it at where there is nature wind (near an open window) or dry it with a small fan.

Peking roast duck Peking roast duck

Glazing
I made my own maltose syrup to glaze my Peking duck. Because I know that my duck deserves something better than just sugar or honey water. Making your own maltose syrup is another good example of nature, food and time. The Enzyme in sticky rice or corns releases maltose from wheat sprouts. Many classic Chinese desserts and baked goods use maltose rather than sugar. If you ask some Chinese at my age or older, we will tell you that maltose reminds us of our childhood. It was the time when resources were scarce. Maltose is a less sweet but much healthier and cheaper substitute for sugar. I will use it later in some of my other videos.

Peking roast duck Peking roast duck

Let me know if you have any questions related to this recipe. The detailed recipe is in the description box under the video. Thanks for reading my blog and watching my videos.

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