Celebrate Chinese New Year
CHINESE ROAST
DUCK WITH GREEN
ONION PANCAKES
PREP + COOK TIME 2 HOURS 40 MINUTES
(+ STANDING) SERVES 6
2kg whole fresh duck
3 cups (750ml) boiling water
4 cups (600g) plain flour
2 cups (500ml) boiling water, extra
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 green onions, sliced thinly
⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
2 lebanese cucumbers (260g),
cut into batons
SPICED PLUM SAUCE
1 cup (300g) plum sauce
1 tablespoon caster sugar
¼ cup (60ml) white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 whole star−anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange (240g), rind peeled in
long strips
1 cup (250ml) water
1 Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
2 Pierce duck skin at 5cm intervals
with a metal skewer; place duckin
a bowl. Pour the boiling water over
duck. Drain, then pat dry with paper
towel. Placeduck on a wire rack over
a large roasting pan lined with foil.
3 Make spiced plum sauce.
4 Place reserved rind from plum
sauce in duck cavity; secure with a
skewer. Brush duck with spiced plum
sauce reserved for brushing and roast
for 50 minutes, basting regularly. Cover
duck loosely with foil; roast for a
further 30 minutes or until juices run
clear when the thickest part of a thigh
is pierced with a skewer. Rest duck,
loosely covered with foil, for 20 minutes.
5 While duck is cooking, placeflour
in the bowl of a food processor. With
motor operating, slowly add the extra
boiling water, processing until a
dough forms. Place dough in a lightly
greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap;
rest for 30 minutes.
6 Divide dough into 16 pieces. Roll
out each piece on a lightly floured
surface into an 18cm round. Brush
round with a little sesame oil, season
with salt; roll into a log. Coil the log;
flatten and reroll into a 18cm round.
(This method will develop the flaky
layers of the pancakes.) Brush rounds
with a little more sesame oil; top with
1½ tablespoons of green onion. Roll
up again into a log, twist into a coil;
flatten and roll into a 16cm round.
7 Heat 1 teaspoon of the vegetable
oil in a non−stick frying pan over
medium heat; cook pancakes, for
2 minutes each side, or until browned.Transfer to paper towel; cover to
keep warm. Repeat with remaining
pancakes and oil.
8 Thinly slice the duck; serve with
green onion pancakes, cucumber
and reserved plum sauce.SPICED PLUM SAUCE
Stir the ingredients in a small
saucepan over low heat until sugar
dissolves. Increase the heat to
high and bring to the boil; boil for
10 minutes or until thickened slightly.
Remove rind, reserving it for duck
cavity. Divide the mixture between
two small bowls, reserving
one for brushing and the
other for serving.TOP TIP
The green onion
pancake dough (step 5)
and the plum sauce
can both be made up
to 1 day ahead;
refrigerate in separate
airtight containers.30