duck

crispy peking duck in pancakes

method

Peking duck is something that has always been very close to the Oliver family. Bizarrely enough, the fact that my parents ran a pub restaurant meant that we very rarely went out for dinner as a family, but when we did, my old man used to take us out to this Chinese restaurant in Sawbridgeworth where we all fell in love with Peking duck.

There are hundreds of ways of cooking duck in Asian cultures – steamed, roasted, pumped up with bicycle pumps to remove the meat from the skin – but we're at home and so we can't do with all this mucking about. My way is simple and it works...

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3. Rub a nice duck with loads of salt, inside and out. Dust the bird all over with five-spice and, if you've got any, grate some fresh ginger and rub it round the cavity, leaving the ginger inside to flavour. Place the duck in a roasting tray and put it in the oven. All you need to do is check on it every so often and spoon away the excess fat that has rendered out of the duck. This will make the skin go wonderfully crispy. Generally, after a couple of hours it will be perfect – the leg meat will pull off the bone and the skin will be wonderfully crisp. You don't always need to, but I sometimes turn the heat up to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 for a short while until it's really crispy.

While this beautiful bird is cooking, you can make your plum sauce. Chuck 10 or 12 destoned plums into a pan with 5 tablespoons of sugar, a couple of pinches of five-spice, a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of chili powder and a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until you get a nice shiny pulp. You can remove the plum skins if you want to, but I usually leave them in. Sometimes I add a little grated orange zest, as this goes well with duck. Put the sauce to one side to cool before serving it, and taste to check the seasoning.

As for the spring onions and cucumber, that's straightforward. Finely slice them. I strongly advise buying pre-made pancakes which you can place in a steamer or microwave and slowly steam until nice and hot. The bamboo steamers are only a few quid from Chinese supermarkets, so it's worth getting hold of some and they're great to serve at the table.

Once the duck has cooled a little bit, use two forks to shred all the meat off the carcass. I remember the Chinese lady at the restaurant in Sawbridgeworth doing this. You can do the same, putting all the meat with its crispy skin on to a serving plate. Take a pancake, place some duck, a bit of spring onion, a little cucumber and a dollop of plum sauce on to it, then roll it up – lovely.

• from Jamie's Dinners

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tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by Robynne on Tue 31 Jan 2012 @ 05:00

OK if you live somewhere that you can buy pancakes...we live on the Eastcape of New Zealand...no brought ones here...Ha Ha....

2. by gary hayes on Thu 22 Dec 2011 @ 08:45

Not sure what went wrong but I cooked the duck for the time allotted and it was tough. I have all Jamie's books and never had a problem with any recipe before. Any ideas what went wrong?

3. by kate nowak on Tue 06 Dec 2011 @ 08:13

i am just cooking the duck now its a dry run for xmas it smells fantastic cant wait to taste it, what else would go well with this recipie like a few other small finger food or dishes of something

4. by michelle on Mon 26 Sep 2011 @ 05:54

i've got 6 coming for dinner and I really want to try this recipe - is 1 duck enough for 6 people or should I get 2? cheers md

5. by Ian on Mon 22 Aug 2011 @ 20:36

Jamie - I love you. First time I have ever cooked a duck and it was gorgeous. Did a couple of mods to your recipe - no soy sauce - orange segments added to the onion and cucumber- and Splenda instead of sugar in the plum sauce (diabetic) and a splash of wine to the sauce while cooking. After 21 years marriage my wife now knows why she still loves me!!!

6. by Deb on Sat 23 Jul 2011 @ 13:20

Followed your receipe completly... BRILLIANT... I can still smell the duck cooking.. so yummy... looking forward to eating it with my gorgeous family....<br /> thanks

7. by Liz on Wed 06 Jul 2011 @ 13:27

I use Vodka, prick the skin all over then pour over a glass full of vodka, very nice and very crispy.

8. by marco on Tue 03 May 2011 @ 08:10

If you enjoy food. The measurements and ingredient particulars will come naturally and confidently.....you can all make a cup of tea the way you like it can't you??? Taste your ingredients before you add them and portion appropriately.<br /> Great combination Jamie!!!

9. by pipstar on Tue 19 Apr 2011 @ 09:28

where are the ingredients i have to go through it now and find them !!!<br />

10. by Maria on Wed 15 Dec 2010 @ 03:39

Where are the ingredients?

11. by Sean B on Sat 06 Mar 2010 @ 21:45

Interesting menu Jonny, but i would stick some lightly cooked apple slices in five spice with the black pudding instead of the haggis and mustard...Sounds like a great lunch though!

12. by Derren on Fri 10 Jul 2009 @ 18:55

Where is the list of ingredients for the peking duck? Can anyone tell me what they are?

13. by Joey on Mon 06 Jul 2009 @ 23:25

I remember my grandma use to brush another layer of the mixture of honey and soya sauce before putting the bird into the oven. And stuff some bread soaked with water in the hollow stomach of the duck, alternatively sliced apples. I miss her Peking Duck!!!

14. by mara on Sat 20 Jun 2009 @ 13:51

Thank you!
Luckily, I do have Szechwan pepper. I bought it two weeks ago in la Boqueria (Barcelona), where I would have found five - spice surely (if I had known then).
Anyway, i'm sure that sooner or later i will use the epicenter (it's easier and cheaper than going to barcelona).

15. by denise on Mon 15 Jun 2009 @ 16:00

http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/chinesefivespice.html
If you don't get 5 spice in your town you're probably not going to have Szechwan pepper.

16. by Cheese on Mon 15 Jun 2009 @ 15:46

Mara: I think you'll find the answer to the 5 spice question here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-spice_powder

17. by Mara on Tue 09 Jun 2009 @ 11:38

Could anyone say to me what is contained in five-spice? Iv've never seen it in stores here in Spain (at least not in my little town) and I would like to try tp make it myself.

18. by jonny hart on Sat 16 May 2009 @ 17:40

i am doing this as a starter along with black pudding and english mustard and hagis, followed by a main of slow roast pork shoulder and roast veg. apple crumble for pud, lots of people are coming for dinner!!!!

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