Over the weekend, we bought a medium size duck. So I made Cantonese roast duck. I call it the “less adventurous” version of a Peking duck, because for the Peking, you roast whole ducks (hung) in wood-fired ovens, rendering out fat and leaving behind perfectly crisp skin. Now I admire (and respect) the hassle and artistry it requires to bring out the flavours of the skin and duck fat. But I’m not sure if I can ever do justice to the Peking. I find the simplified version of the Cantonese roast duck more achievable in a rotisserie oven at home. I’ll also need to thank the uncle at my local roast duck shop for his guidance (he told me just enough to not give away his trade secrets though!) I served this with asparagus salad with Asian vinaigrette dressing and mandarin pancakes made with a simple hot water dough.
Succulent and Flavourful Cantonese Roast Duck
Ingredients
- 1 medium size duck 2-3kg
- 2-4 tsp salt
For the marinade
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp spring onions finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine/dry sherry/equivalent
- 1 tbsp fermented yellow soy bean sauce (taucu)
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
For the glaze
- 1/4 cup honey/maltose syrup
- 1/2 tsp red food colouring/red beet/pomegranate juice optional
- 1 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup warm water
Instructions
- Clean the duck well. Cut away the lumps of fat inside the cavity. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Rub salt over the entire duck. Refrigerate overnight, about 12 hours.
- Saute onions, ginger, and garlic till fragrant. Add remaining marinade ingredients. Once it’s boiling, lower the fire and simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Remove duck from the fridge. Tie the duck’s neck tightly with twine. Pour the marinade into the cavity and sew it securely with a trussing needle.
- Place the duck head-down into a pot of boiling water. Ladle boiling water over any exposed portions of skin until it has contracted and tightened. The skin will look like tiny goosebumps.
- Air dry the duck by hanging it head-down with a S hook through its neck. Place a pan underneath to catch any drip. Or place it on a cooling rack with a tray beneath and refrigerate uncovered. Air dry for 4-5 hours.
- Measure maltose/honey into a small bowl, add rice vinegar and red colouring (if using). Dissolve with warm water. Brush mixture all over the duck. Repeat this step twice.
- Preheat oven to 200C. Hang the duck in the oven or place on a rack above a baking pan. After you’ve placed the duck inside in the oven, insert a tray of boiling water at the bottom of the oven. Roast for 25 minutes. At the end, baste with the glaze.
- Lower the heat to 180C and roast for another 30 minutes, basting again with the glaze.
- The duck is fully cooked if you’re able to slice into the thickest part of the thigh easily, or when a thermometer inserted into the thigh measures 80C.
- Remove and let it cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Snip away the twine to drain the juices inside the duck. The juices can be used as a side gravy; just skim the fat off the surface, bring to a boil in a pan and simmer for 2 minutes to thicken the gravy.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply remove from the fridge and let it sit in room temperature for 20 minutes then reheat in the oven at 163C for 30 minutes to get the skin crispy.
- To freeze, de-bone the duck, cut the meat into sizeable portions and store in freezer zip lock bags. It can be freeze up to 4 months. To reheat, transfer the duck to the fridge and leave overnight to thaw. Remove and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before reheating (follow the steps at point 1 to reheat).
If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram.
