Beijing Kao Ya (Authentic Peking Duck)
Only Japan eats skin! Authentic all-seater dish featuring meat and bone soup
Description
In Japan, the luxurious image is 'eating only the crispy skin wrapped in a pancake'. In authentic Beijing, the chef carves 'layers of crispy skin attached to succulent meat'. The leftover meat is stir-fried, and the carcass is boiled into a premium cloudy soup, utilizing the 'entire bird'.
Restaurants serving Beijing Kao Ya (Authentic Peking Duck)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Peking breed Duck
- Maltose
- Sweet bean sauce(Tianmianjiang)
- Scallion
- Cucumber
- Chun Bing(Pancakes)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (Duck Prep) Pump air between the skin and meat of a gutted duck to separate them completely (guarantees crispy skin). Scald with boiling water to tighten pores, glaze with maltose, and hang to air-dry completely for
- hours.
- (Roasting) Hang inside a special brick oven fueled by 'fruitwood' (apple/jujube) logs, roasting over an open flame (Gua Lu).
- (Carving: Pian Ya) The roasted duck is brought to the table where a master carves it instantly. Unlike Japan (skin only), they slice it so each piece is a perfect 3-layer cut of 'crispy skin, melting fat, and juicy lean meat'.
- (Eating) Spread sweet bean sauce on a thin pancake (Chun Bing), add scallion, cucumber, and the [meat-attached skin], and roll.
- The leftover carcass is taken back and returned at the end of the meal as a rich, cloudy 'Duck Bone Soup' (Ya Jia Tang).
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Fruitwood smoke aroma、Intense sweetness of duck fat
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Practically impossible to replicate at home)
Pairing
Shaoxing Wine / Jasmine Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] Famous spots like 'Quanjude' issue a certificate with a 'serial number' for every single duck. The Japanese 'skin-only' style is actually a Galapagos culture developed to hide dry, overcooked meat from inferior roasting methods.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] The absolute crispiest skin from the breast is NOT eaten with sweet sauce. Dip it slightly in 'pure white sugar'. The skin dissolves instantly in your mouth like cotton candy—the ultimate authentic experience.
Allergen
Wheat, Soybeans, Sesame, Chicken