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Eva Pau's aromatic duck pancakes

aromatic duck
Watch Eva Pau's Asian Kitchen, Wednesdays at 8.00pm on RTÉ One.

Watch Eva Pau's Asian Kitchen, Wednesdays at 8.00pm on RTÉ One.

Ingredients

Serves: 4, as a starter or cook 2 ducks for a main course for 4

Prep Time: 20mins

Cook Time: 1.5hours

For the duck:

  • 1 full duck (2-2.6kg)
  • 3 tsps Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 30g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 4 spring onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 8 star anise
  • 8 bay leaves
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 tbsps Shaoxing wine

Basting sauce:

  • 2 tsp Lee Kum Kee Premium light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

For the hoisin sauce:

  • 90ml Lee Kum Kee hoisin sauce
  • 30g sugar
  • 100ml of water

To serve:

  • 1 pack of 24 Chinese-style pancakes, warmed according to packet instructions
  • ½ cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks
  • 8 spring onions, finely shredded

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 210C /190C fan.
  2. Pat dry the duck. Mix the Chinese five spice and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl and rub or brush this mixture all over the whole front and back of the duck.
  3. Add the oil to a small frying pan and place over a medium heat. Once hot add the ginger, spring onions, star anise, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks and fry for about 40 seconds until aromatic. Scoop ⅓ of this mixture into the cavity of the duck and pour the rest onto a baking tray then arrange the duck on top and drizzle over the Shaoxing wine.
  4. Place in the oven for 1 hour until the duck is cooked and the skin has turned a lovely dark roasted colour. Whilst the duck roasts, make the hoisin sauce by adding all of the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes. When it has thickened, pour it into a bowl and set aside.
  5. When the duck is cooked, it onto a new tray. Mix together your basting sauce, and brush it all over the duck skin. Turn the oven up to 220 C / 200 C fan and place the duck back into the oven to crisp the skin for 5 - 10 minutes - keep an eye on it as it cooks as you don't want the skin to burn, just to turn a lovely, dark golden brown colour.
  6. When the duck is cooked, remove the skin and meat from the bones and place onto a serving platter. Serve with the hoisin sauce mix, the pancakes and the shredded vegetables.