成人快手

by Ken Hom & Ching-He Huang from Exploring China (成人快手 Books)

听

Preparing Beijing (Peking) duck is a time-consuming task, but I have devised a simpler method that closely approximates the real thing.听 Just give yourself plenty of time & the results will be good enough for an emperor.听 Traditionally Peking duck is served with Chinese pancakes, spring onions cut into brush shapes & sweet bean sauce. In Hong Kong & the West, Hoisin sauce is used instead (this is very similar to sweet bean sauce but contains vinegar).听 Each guest spoons some sauce onto a pancake.听 Then a helping of crisp skin & meat is placed on top, with a spring onion brush, & the entire mixture is rolled up like a stuffed pancake.听 It can be eaten using chopsticks or with your fingers.听 This makes an unforgettable dish for a very special dinner party.

Prep time 陆 hr with drying time 4hrs min. or overnight

Cooking time 1陆 hrs

Serves 4-6

听

Ingredients

1 x 1.6-1.75kg (3陆-4lb) duck, fresh or frozen

1.2L (2 pints) water

150ml (录 pint) Chinese black rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

3 tbsp malt/maltose sugar (or honey)

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

1陆 tbsp coarse salt

2陆 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder

2 tsp roasted ground Sichuan peppercorns

听

To serve

1 recipe Chinese Pancakes (see below)

24 spring onions, cut into brushes

6 tbsp Hoisin sauce (or sweet bean sauce)

听

Method

1.听听听听听听听听听听听 If the duck is frozen, thaw it thoroughly. 听Rinse the duck well & blot it completely dry with kitchen paper.听 Insert a meat hook near the neck.

2.听听听听听听听听听听听 Bring the water & vinegar to the boil in a large pot.听 Hold the duck by the hook over the pot &, using a large ladle, carefully pour this mixture over the outside of the duck several times, as if to bathe it, until all the skin is completely coated with the mixture.听 Reserve the mixture.

3.听听听听听听听听听听听 Hang the duck in a cool, well-ventilated place to dry, or alternatively hang it in front of a cold fan for about 2-3hrs, or overnight.听 When the duck is dried, bring the reserved water-vinegar liquid to the boil, add the sugar (or honey) & soy sauce & again bathe the duck skin & leave to dry in front of a fan for at least 2-3hrs more.听 Once the duck has dried, the surface of the skin will feel like parchment.听 Mix the salt, five-spice & peppercorns together & rub this mixture evenly inside the cavity of the duck.

4.听听听听听听听听听听听 Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 9.听 Meanwhile, place the duck on a roasting rack in a roasting pan, breast side up.听 Pour 150ml (录 pint) of water into the pan (this will prevent the fat from splattering).听 Roast for 15 mins, then lower the oven temperature to 180C/350F/gas 4 & continue to roast for 1hr & 10 mins.

5.听听听听听听听听听听听 While the duck is roasting, make the spring onion brushes.听 Cut off & discard the green part of the spring onion then trim off the base.听 You should be left with a 7.5cm (3in) white segment.听 Make a lengthways cut of about 2.5cm (1in) long at one end of the spring onion.听 Roll the spring onion 90掳 & cut again.听 Repeat this process at the other end.听 Soak the cut spring onions in iced water & they will curl into brushes.听 Pat them dry before use.

6.听听听听听听听听听听听 Remove the duck from the oven & let it sit for at least 10 mins before you carve it.听 Using a cleaver or a sharp knife, cut the skin & meat into pieces & arrange them on a warm platter. Serve at once with Chinese pancakes, spring onion brushes & a bowl of Hoisin sauce (or sweet bean sauce).

Chinese Pancakes

Makes 18

听

Ingredients

275g (10oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

225ml (8fl oz) very hot water

2 tbsp sesame oil

听

Method

1.听听听听听听听听听听听 Put the flour into a large bowl.听 Stir the hot water gradually into the flour, mixing all the while with chopsticks or a fork, until the water is fully incorporated.听 Add more water if the mixture seems dry.听 Then remove the mixture from the bowl & knead it with your hands until smooth.听 This should take about 8 mins.听 Put the dough back into the bowl, cover it with a clean, damp towel & let it rest for about 30 mins.

2.听听听听听听听听听听听 After the resting period, take the dough out of the bowl & knead it again for about 5 mins, dusting with a little flour if it is sticky.听 Once the dough is smooth, form it into a roll about 46cm (18in) long & about 2.5cm (1in) in diameter.听听 Take a knife & cut the roll into equal segments.听 There should be about 18.听 Roll each segment into a ball.

3.听听听听听听听听听听听 Take two of the balls.听 Dip one side of one ball into the sesame oil & place the oiled side on top of the other ball.听 Take a rolling pin & roll the two together into a circle about 15cm (6in) in diameter. Nigel flipped over the dough once he'd rolled it to about 2-3 inches in diameter, to continue the rolling. This ensure the 2 panckaes are of equal size and thickness.听It is important to roll double pancakes in this way because the resulting dough will remain moist inside, & you will be able to roll them thinner but avoid the risk of overcooking them later.

4.听听听听听听听听听听听 Heat a frying pan or wok over a very low flame.听 Put the double pancake into the pan or wok & cook until it has dried on one side.听 Flip it over & cook the other side until dried.听 Remove from the pan, gently peel the two pancakes apart & set them aside.听 Repeat this process until all the dough balls have been cooked.

5.听听听听听听听听听听听 Steam the pancakes to reheat them, or alternatively you could wrap them tightly in double sheet of foil & put them into a pan containing 2.5cm (1in) of boiling water.听 Cover the pan, turn the heat down very low & simmer until they are reheated.听 Don鈥檛 be tempted to reheat them in the oven, as this will dry them out too much.

6.听听听听听听听听听听听 If you want to freeze the cooked pancakes, wrap them tightly in clingfilm first.听 When using pancakes that have been frozen, thaw them in the fridge first before reheating them.