Clean the duck, removing and discarding
any excess fat in the cavity.
Tie a piece of string around its
neck. Pat dry.
Bring 25 cups of water to the boil
and turn off the heat.
Put the duck into the water and turn
it backwards and forwards for about 1 minute. Remove.
Bring the water to the boil again and
repeat the previous step.
Do this twice more (total four times)
Hang the duck in a cool, draughty
place for about 5 hours.
Mix the coating ingredients with 10
tablespoons hot water and brush the duck all over with the mixture.
Hang to dry for a further 4 hours and
apply a second layer of coating.
Pre-heat the oven to 450oF / 230oC.
Put a roasting pan in the oven with a
wire rack in it, making sure that there is a space of about 5 cm between the
rack and the pan base.
Place the duck on the rack, breast
side up, and roast for 8 minutes.
Turn the duck over using a towel, not
a fork, and roast for a further 8 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 350oF /
180oC and turn the duck breast side up again.
Roast for 20 minutes. Lower the
temperature to 250oF / 120oC and roast for 10 minutes.
Increase the heat again to 450oF /
230oC and roast the duck for about 10 minutes.
At this point you have to watch
carefully to make sure the skin of the duck does not burn.
Turn off the heat once the skin has
turned a rich deep red.
While the duck is roasting, prepare
the Chinese pancakes. Refer to the Chinese pancakes recipe.
Cut the spring onions into 5 cm
lengths, shred the tip of each piece and put it in iced water for 10
minutes. Cut the cucumber into similar lengths.
Decorate each piece with a red chili
ring.
Blend together the sauce ingredients
over a low heat.
Carve off the skin on the back of the
duck.
Hold the knife horizontally and carve
the skin and meat from the breast and legs, cutting at an angle of 15o.
Arrange the skin and meat on a large
plate and serve it with pancakes and cucumber, spring onions and the sauce.
Happy trying!!