Cantonese Roast Duck

The most perfect roast duck with glossy, crispy skin and juicy, tender, flavorful meat. This homemade duck recipe is even better than the ones in Chinatown.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Cantonese roast duck, Chinese duck, Chinese duck recipe, roast duck

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1

Refrigeration 1

Total Time 1 2

Servings servings

Calories 833kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

1 whole duck 4-5 lbs

Dry Rub

1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoon five spice powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon Chicken bouillon powder
2 teaspoon sugar

Wet Marinade

2 tablespoons red fermented tofu
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 star anise
2 slices fresh ginger 1/8 inch thick
3 garlic cloves sliced
1 stalk green onion cut into 2 inch pieces both white and green

Blanching

6 ½ cups water
¼ cup Maltose
⅓ cup Chinese red vinegar
2 teaspoon salt

Serve

Instructions

Marinate and Prepare the Duck

Prepare the duck. Remove any giblets and excess fat from the cavity of the bird. Then remove the wing tips and feet, if still attached, leaving the legs. Use tweezers to remove any remaining pinfeathers. Rinse the inside and outside of the duck and pat it dry.
Seal the top end of the duck. Thread a skewer through the skin at the top of the duck and tightly seal by tying twine underneath the skewer.
Mix the dry rub. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, five-spice powder, ginger powder, chicken bouillon powder, and sugar.
Mix the wet marinade. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the red fermented tofu, shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce. Mix until combined.
Season the duck. Evenly rub the duck with the dry rub. Then carefully pour the wet rub into the cavity and evenly marinate the inside. Add the star anise, ginger, garlic cloves, and green onion.
Seal the tail of the duck. Close the tail the same way you sealed the top by threading a skewer through the skin and tying twine underneath the skewer.
Pump air into the duck. Inside the air pump needle under the skin and gently inflate the skin until it separates from the meat all over. Move the needle all over the duck pumping air into the skin until it inflates evenly.

Blanch the skin

Prepare the blanching liquid. In a large pot, bring water, maltose, Chinese vinegar, and salt to a boil over high heat.
Blanch the duck. Place the duck on a wire rack set over a half-sheet baking sheet. Ladle the blanching liquid over the duck. Flip and repeat to evenly blanch on both sides.
Air dry the duck. Once the duck has cooled. Place it uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 24 to 48 hours.

Roast the duck

Preheat the oven and the duck. Take your duck out of the refrigerator for 2 hours and pat it dry. Preheat your oven to 450 F (232 C). And place the wire rack in the center position.
Roast the duck. Roast the duck breast side down for 20 minutes. At 10 minutes, rotate the duck 180 degrees. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 F (176 C) and roast for another 30 minutes. Rotating the duck 180 degrees every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the duck is golden brown in color, and rest the duck for 30-40 minutes.
Drain. Once the duck has cooled, untie the tail-end skewer and carefully drain all the liquid from the cavity and the aromatics. Save the sauce for dipping. Then remove the other twine and skewer.
Carve. Carve the duck first by slicing off the wings, drumsticks, and thighs. Then slice the center of the breast and remove both breasts.
Serve. Serve with either the duck marinade sauce, ginger scallion sauce, or plum sauce and enjoy!

Notes

See the Expert Tips for more guidance.

Nutrition