Serving up a compromise on Peking duck dish for one
The Peking duck is considered to be one of the most difficult and complex dishes to accomplish in Chinese cuisine. The three-day cooking process involves drying out the duck till the skin resembles sausage casing, separating the fatty skin from the body with a bicycle pump (seriously), basting the carcass with boiling water and slow roasting it for hours till the skin achieves that potato chip texture and reddishbrown colour. It truly is an example of culinary wizardry.
For nearly a full week in the test kitchen, I was determined to hack the Peking duck — to bypass the three-day process and distil it down to something that can be made in 30 minutes using a duck breast for a single diner. It was . . . a disaster. I tried dusting the breast with baking powder and salt in hopes of drying it out quickly, but it still came out flabby when cooked.
I tried searing the duck then finishing it in the oven. I then roasted the duck, then finished it on the stove. Basically, I went through a lot of ducks and was quickly eating away at my monthly grocery budget. I hadn’t even started on recreating the wraps themselves.
So, here is my compromise: duck lettuce wraps. This is the course that typically accompanies Peking duck when the remaining duck meat is chopped up, sautéed with vegetables and then served in lettuce cups. This could easily be replicated at home, especially when the duck is prediced into little cubes that just need a few minutes in a hot pan. Since the skin is already quite fatty, no oil is needed to grease the pan. It’s fast enough for a weeknight meal, but easy enough to scale up for entertaining friends.
If you don’t want to use duck, substitute with chicken.
A vegan version can be made by dicing up firm tofu and sautéing till crispy and golden brown with a teaspoon of canola or vegetable oil in a hot skillet.
As for Hoisin sauce, while there’s technically no animal products in the ingredient list, there are bottles that are specifically marked “vegetarian Hoisin.” These are meant for people who follow Buddhist or Jain vegetarian diets, which exclude vegetables in the onion family (garlic is found in regular Hoisin sauce).
Easy Duck Lettuce Wraps
Star Tested 1/2 cup (125 mL) long-grain white rice 1 cup (250 mL) water 8 oz (225 g) skin-on duck breast, diced into small cubes 2 stalks green onions, stem and leafy green ends removed and julienned 1 small carrot, peeled and julienned 1/4 English cucumber, julienned 1 small head of Boston lettuce Hoisin sauce Sriracha (optional)
Rinse rice under cold running water until water runs clear. Add rice and water to a small pot. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat to low and simmer until rice is fluffy and liquid is absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Fluff rice with a fork and set aside.
While rice is cooking, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté duck until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Arrange a platter for rice, duck, green onions, carrots, cucumber and lettuce leaves. Assemble wraps and drizzle with Hoisin and Sriracha, if using, to taste. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 generous serving. karonliu@thestar.ca