A dish cooked and eaten in Beijing since the Imperial era, today Peking duck is a Chinese restaurant favourite across the world. There are countless methods of preparing and cooking the duck, but originally it was roasted in a closed oven until the kitchens of the Qing Dynasty developed the open-oven style to cook several ducks at the same time. The duck is then served with steamed Chinese pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and sweet bean sauce.
1
Preheat your oven to 180°C/356°F/gas mark 4 and remove the duck legs from the fridge about 20 mins before you want to cook them.
2
Prick the skin of the duck legs all over with a fork or skewer.
3
In a bowl, mix together your five spice, garlic and salt, then rub over the duck legs.
4
Place the duck legs in an ovenproof dish and cook for about 60 mins. Leave them in a little longer if they haven’t crisped up enough.
5
While the duck is cooking, prepare your cucumber and spring onions.
6
Once the duck is cooked, leave it to rest for about 10 mins then shred the meat using two forks or your fingers.
7
Serve the shredded duck with the hoisin sauce, pancakes, cucumber and spring onions on the side.