Beijing Kao Ya is one of China’s famous authentic dishes. It is made of roasted duck that is marinated and dried using Sichuan pepper and Five Spice.
Things to know about Beijing Kao Ya Recipe
The long history of the Chinese Traditional Duck Dish with Mandarin Pancake from Beijing – Beijing Kao Ya started in Yuan Dynasty during the 13th century. It comes from one of the oldest restaurants in China, known as Bianyifang, specializing in Peking Duck.
The duck has crispy and golden brown skin, and its meat is very tender, moist, and sweet. What makes it special is the thin pancake or steamed bun served together with it. If you want to make it authentic, the duck must be an Imperial Peking Duck hung for 24 hours while pumping air through small holes between its wings and breasts.
People often eat the skin first as an appetizer, followed by its meat and served with fresh cucumber on the side. It is eaten together with the thin pancake to complete the traditional Peking duck experience.
Tasty Chinese Traditional Duck Dish with Mandarin Pancake from Beijing. Authentic Recipe of Beijing Kao Ya.
— General Atributes of This Recipe:
— ADAPT THE SERVINGS OR PORTIONS BY ENTERING YOUR DESIRED VALUE —
Ingredients
Duck
- 200 grams (7.05 oz) Duck Boneless, with skin
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Rice Wine or Shaoxing Wine
- ⅛ tsp Chinese Five Spice
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Mandarin Pancake
- 1½ cups All Purpose Flour – Plain Flour
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ⅔ cup Water Boiled
- 1 tsp Vegetable Oil
Fixing
- 1 pc Cucumber Remove the seed, julienned
- ½ pc Cantaloupe – Sweet Melon Julienned
- 2 pcs Scallion
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 3 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
Instructions
Preparation
- Prepare and measure all ingredients properly ahead of time.
Marinate
- Combine salt, wine, soy sauce, and five-spice powder and rub on the duck skin. Transfer it to a plate with the breast skin side up and marinate overnight. In case you do not want to wait overnight, you can reduce the time to 1 hour. But it might affect the overall taste of the dish.
Mandarin Pancake
- Combine the salt and flour in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water into the dry mixture. Mix evenly using a spatula until it forms a dough.
- Once the dough cools down, you can start kneading for 8 minutes or until it becomes smooth. You may add some flour if the dough feels sticky.
- Cover the dough with food-grade plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for about an hour.
- After resting, roll the dough and form a cylinder, then equally cut it into 12 pieces. Create a ball from the dough and flatten it into a disc. Brush six pieces with little oil, and make sure that the sides are brushed with oil.
- Put the remaining six discs on top of the oiled dish, so you have six pieces, each made up of 2 discs.
- Flatten the two pieces together using a rolling pin, making an equal size for both sides.
- Pre-heat a frying pan over medium fire and place one pancake at a time.
- Cook the pancake for about 30 to 45 seconds. You will notice some air pockets form between the two pancakes. Flip it, and the color should be white with some brown patches on top. It is important not to overcook the pancake. After 30 seconds, you will notice larger air packets separating the two pancakes. Take it out of the pan and put it on a plate. Allow the pancake to cool down and separate the two pancakes carefully.
- Cover it with a clean paper towel. Repeat the process until all pancakes are finished.
Cooking
- Set the broiler on medium heat.
- In a frying pan over medium heat, put oil enough to coat the surface of the pan. Sear the duck breast.
- Move or turn over the duck frequently so the skin will become crispy. Lower the heat if needed to avoid burning the skin.
- After 6 to 8 minutes, or the skin turns crispy, drain the duck fat and discard it.
- Transfer the duck into the broiler and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Take out the duck and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes, and transfer it to a cutting board.
- Slice the duck thinly using a sharp knife.
- Serve the duck with warm Mandarin pancakes, sauces, and other fixings of your choice.
— Specific Atributes of This Recipe:
Nutrition
Cooking tip for making Beijing Kao Ya
In the case of leftover pancakes, they can be reheated using a steamer for a minute. Also, you may freeze the pancake for up to 3 weeks if you want to cook a larger batch for an event.
What to serve with Beijing Kao Ya?
It is best served with sweet bean sauce using 2 tbsp of sweet bean and 1 tbsp of sesame oil. The sweet bean is primarily available in Asian supermarkets or on Amazon. It is made of soybean and used as a seasoning.
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