Jinling Sliced Skin Duck
A traditional dish originating from Nanjing, the duck is roasted in a hanging oven until the skin is crisp and the meat tender. It is served in two stages and has become a celebrated Cantonese specialty.
Ingredients
Duck
2000 g
Multi-layer pancakes
24
Shrimp chips (fried until crispy)
15 g
Ginger block
10 g
Scallion strips
50 g
Scallion knots
25 g
Huai salt
15 g
Star anise
15 g
Seafood sauce
50 g
Sugar water
50 g
Peanut oil
500 g
Instructions
1
Preparation
Hang the duck by tying a string around one leg and looping it under the wing to lift it up. Straighten the neck, cut the throat to drain the blood, then scald with 70°C hot water to remove the feathers. Make a small opening at the base of the right wing and, using a small knife inside the opening, break three of the ribs. First remove the esophagus and trachea, then hook through the vent to cut the urinary membrane and kidney membrane. Remove the internal organs and lungs, chop off the lower sections of the feet and wings. Take a piece of bamboo about 12 mm in diameter and 6.5 cm long and insert it into the body cavity to prop it open. Once propped, soak the duck in a pot of boiling water until the skin firms up. Remove, let dry briefly, then brush sugar water all over the duck. Hook the duck under the jaw with an iron hook, prop both wings open with two small bamboo sticks, fold a piece of wing feather and insert it into the vent to keep it propped open, then hang the duck in a cool, well-ventilated place to dry.
2
Stuffing
Crush the ginger and scallion strips, then stuff them into the duck cavity through the opening at the wing base together with the Huai salt and star anise. Remove the feather at the vent and replace it with a wooden plug to seal it tightly. Place the duck on a clean cutting board, insert a long iron fork from the inner side of both legs and out through both shoulders. Loop the duck neck around the iron fork once, and finally drive the tip of the fork firmly into the lower jaw.
3
Roasting
Hold both ends of the fork handle with the tip tilted slightly upward. Over a charcoal stove, first roast the head, neck, and tail until lightly red. Meanwhile, heat a wok over medium heat, add 500 g of oil, and heat to about 150°C (5/10 hot). Add the shrimp chips and fry until crisp, drain through a slotted spoon, and place them on a large platter. Then, using high heat, roast the duck body until it turns a deep red and is fully cooked.
4
Slicing and Serving
Place the freshly roasted duck immediately on a cutting board. With a cleaver, slice off 24 pieces of skin and lay them flat over the shrimp chips. Bring the dish straight to the table along with the multi-layer pancakes, scallion knots, and seafood sauce.
5
Second-Course Cutting and Refrying
From the duck that has already been skinned, cut off the head, wings, tail, legs, and breast meat. Heat a wok over medium heat, add 500 g of oil, and heat to about 150°C (5/10 hot). Add the duck head, wings, tail, and breast meat and fry for about 1 minute until cooked. Remove, cut into pieces, arrange them on a platter in the shape of a duck, and serve again.
