Crispy Duck Pancakes

There’s no secret to making this classic Chinese dish—all that’s needed is the patience to wait while the duck slowly cooks to crisp, melting perfection.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

• 2 tsp salt

• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

• 4 duck legs

• 1 large cucumber

• 2 bunches scallions (spring onions)

• 24 Chinese pancakes

• 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) hoisin sauce

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C/ Gas Mark 3. Mix the five-spice powder with the salt and pepper. Put the duck legs into a roasting pan. Rub the duck legs all over with the salty spice.

2 Roast the duck for 11⁄2 hours, or until the skin is dark golden and crisp and the meat is tender. The fat will have run out of the skin. A convection or fan-assisted oven will give a really crisp result, so if you have the option, use a convection oven, not forgetting to reduce the temperature by 25°F/20°C.

3 Meanwhile, cut the cucumber into thin sticks and trim, then finely shred the scallions (spring onions). Cutting the scallions into thin strips can be difficult, so slice into rounds if preferred.

4 When the duck is cooked, cover the pancakes with aluminum foil and put into the oven for 10 minutes to warm through (or follow the package instructions). Use 2 forks to pull the duck flesh and skin away from the bones. They should come away from the bones very easily. Keep the duck warm on a plate in the oven. Don’t cover it with foil, or the skin will lose its crispness.

5 Spoon the hoisin sauce into a serving dish. Serve the sauce, shredded duck, sliced cucumber, scallions, and pancakes separately and let everyone assemble their own. To assemble, spoon about 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce onto a pancake, then spread it out with the back of the spoon. Arrange a couple of sticks of cucumber, a few shreds of scallion, and a little duck in a line across the middle of the pancake. To roll, tuck the bottom of the pancake up, then roll the sides over, leaving the top open.

CHINESE PANCAKES

If you can’t find thin Chinese pancakes in the store, try flour tortillas instead. Chinese pancakes are also made with flour, so the flavour is similar. If the tortillas are larger, cut them in half and wrap around the filling in a cone shape instead of a roll.