Peking-Style Roast Duck with Pancakes, Cucumber and Hoisin

Duck

• 1 large Whole duck, giblets removed
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

Glaze and serving

• 60 ml Honey
• 45 ml Light soy sauce
• 30 ml Rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp Caster sugar
• 1 tbsp Sesame oil
• 250 g Plain flour
• 180 ml Water, just-boiled
• 120 ml Hoisin sauce
• 6 Spring onion
• 1 large Cucumber

1. Heat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Pat the duck very dry with kitchen paper, then prick the skin all over with the tip of a knife, taking care not to pierce the meat. Rub the duck all over with the fine sea salt and Chinese five spice powder.
2. Set the duck on a rack in a roasting pan, breast-side up. Roast for 20 minutes to start crisping the skin, then reduce the oven to 180°C (355°F). Continue roasting for 70 minutes, turning the duck over halfway through, until the skin is deep golden and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced.
3. While the duck roasts, make the glaze: in a small saucepan, whisk together the honey, light soy sauce, rice vinegar and caster sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until slightly syrupy, then take off the heat and whisk in the sesame oil. Set aside at room temperature.
4. Make the pancakes: put the plain flour in a mixing bowl and pour in the just-boiled water, stirring with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth, then cover and rest for 20 minutes. This rest makes the dough easier to roll thinly.
5. Roll the dough into a log and cut into 16 pieces, then roll each piece into a thin round. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and cook the pancakes for 45 to 60 seconds per side until pale with a few light brown spots; stack and cover to keep warm. If they colour too quickly, lower the heat so they stay soft and pliable.
6. When the duck has 10 minutes left, brush it all over with the glaze and return it to the oven, breast-side up, until glossy and deeply lacquered. Rest the duck for 15 minutes before carving so the juices settle. Pour off excess fat from the roasting pan carefully if needed, then transfer the duck to a board for carving at the table.
7. Slice the spring onion and cucumber into thin batons. Serve the carved duck with the warm pancakes, hoisin sauce, spring onion and cucumber, letting everyone assemble their own wraps. For the classic bite, spread hoisin on a pancake, add duck, then top with spring onion and cucumber before rolling.

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