Tori’s Crispy Mandarin Duck/Goose
As you’ve probably realized from reading my books, I love to eat.
And unlike my Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja heroine, I also love to cook! What follows is my all-time favorite way to prepare duck or goose. It’s a real show stopper for any special occasion meal.
HINT: The drying and cooking method guarantees the crispiest skin and juicy meat.
Serve duck or goose on a platter, carved with meat on the bottom and squares of the crispy skin on top, with small pancakes and scallion hoisin sauce. The traditional method for eating is to brush the pancake with the scallion hoisin, layer duck meat and skin, fold and eat.
Tori’s Crispy Mandarin Duck/Goose
Duck serves 4 (Goose serves 6 to 8)
Traditionally, Crispy Duck is served as follows:
Place platters of duck, heated pancakes, bowl of sauce, and scallion brushes on the table. Each guest spreads a pancake flat on a plate, dips a scallion in the sauce and brushes the pancake with it.
Note: Pancakes/buns may be purchased at Asian market. Find more recipes on the book club page of my website.
Ingredients:
1 duck (or goose) 5-6 C water
1⁄4 C honey
4 slices peeled fresh ginger root (1″ diameter, 1/8″ thick) 2 scallions, including the green tops, cut in 2″ lengths.
Sauce:
1⁄4 C hoisin sauce 1 T water
1 t sesame-seed oil 2 t sugar
3 scallions (optional: trim on into a 3-inch serving brush)
Mandarin pancakes:
2 C sifted all-purpose flour
3⁄4 C boiling water
1 to 2 T sesame-seed oil
(You can also purchase Chinese-style pancakes/buns at Asian Market or try a basic, unsweetened pancake recipe for small, thin cakes)
Preparing the Duck/Goose:
Cut off any loose skin or excess fat. Place in a pan on a rack and air dry for a couple hours then place (uncovered) in the refrigerator over night. (For speed drying, aim a fan at the bird for 3 hours and move onto the next step.)
In a wok or large casserole, combine water, honey, ginger root and cut scallions; bring to a boil over high heat. Dip the bird in the honey-ginger-scallion bath and turn it until every part has been thoroughly moistened. (I use tongs with rubber grips so as not to break the skin.) Remove the duck (discard liquid) and reset on the rack. Air dry for 2 to 3 hours. Move onto the next step or return to the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°
Place duck, breast side up, on a rack and set in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes a pound. (90 minutes for 4.5-pound duck)
Lower heat to 300°
Flip duck, breast side down, and roast 10 minutes a pound. (45 minutes for 4.5-pound duck)
Raise heat to 375°
Flip duck, breast side up, roast for a final 5 to 10 minutes a pound. (20 to 45 minutes for 4.5- pound duck) Skin should be extremely crispy but not burned.
Using a small sharp knife, separate wings and legs from bird and trim meat and skin away from the thighs to make them smaller. Arrange on a heated platter. Remove the crisp skin from the breast, sides, back of duck and cut into small squares. Carve meat away from the carcass and slice into small pieces. Arrange on the heated platter and cover the meat with squares of skin.
Preparing the Sauce:
Cut one scallion into a 3-inch serving brush with a white handle and green top (or serve with a spoon). Chop the rest and lightly sauté in sesame oil. Add hoisin sauce and water to mix. Set aside for dipping sauce.
Preparing Mandarin Pancakes:
(If the traditional method is too time consuming, purchase Chinese-style buns or pancakes at an Asian market or try a basic pancake recipe for small, thin cakes. I opt for easy.)
Sift flour in mixing bowl; make a well in the center and add 3⁄4 cup of boiling water. Using a wooden spoon, gradually mix flour and water together until a soft dough is formed. Knead gently for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Cover with damp towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll dough to about 1⁄4-inch thickness. With a 21⁄2-inch cookie cutter (or glass) cut as many circles of dough as possible. Arrange circles side by side; brush half the circles lightly with sesame-seed oil and, sandwich-wise, place unoiled circles on top. With a rolling pin, flatten each sandwiched pair into a 6-inch circle, rotating the sandwich an inch or so in a clockwise direction as you roll so the circle keeps its shape, and turning it once to roll both sides. Cover pancakes with a dry towel. Set a heavy skillet on high heat for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium and cook pancakes, one at a time, in ungreased pan. Turn them over as they puff up and little bubbles appear on the surface. Regulate heat so pancakes become specked with brown after cooking about 1 minute on each side. As each pancake is finished, gently separate the halves and stack them. Serve at once or wrap in foil and refrigerate or freeze for later use. To reheat, steam for 10 minutes or warm (still wrapped in foil) in a preheated 350° oven for about 10 minutes.
I hope you enjoy Tori’s Crispy Mandarin Duck/Goose!
If you have leftovers, be sure to try my delicious and heart warming Goose Congee!
Find More Asian Recipes on Tori’s Lily Wong Thrillers Book Club Page!
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