Peking duck lettuce cups
(1)
11 hours 30 min
Slowly roasted duck leg meat is chopped, fried up in duck fat until crispy, then served in lettuce 'cups' with chopped cucumber, spring onions and sesame seeds. Since this is something that can be made well ahead of time, it works nicely for large groups. Just simply reheat, and crisp up the skin before serving.
Chef John
6 people made this
Ingredients
Serves: 6
- 6 whole duck legs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 spring onions, sliced into large pieces
- 5 cloves garlic, halved
- Serving sauce
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon hot chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon duck fat
- 18 whole little Gem lettuce leaves
- Garnishes
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 6 spring onions, chopped, divided (or as needed)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Method
Prep:20min ›
Cook:3hr10min ›
Extra time:8hr chilling ›
Ready in:11hr30min
- Preheat oven to 120 C / Gas mark ½.
- Place duck legs in a large bowl. Drizzle with vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt, Chinese 5-spice and black pepper. Move ducks legs so all surfaces are coated with oil and seasonings.
- Sprinkle large pieces from 3 spring onions into a baking dish large enough to hold the duck legs in a single layer. Place duck legs skin side up on top of the spring onions. Scatter garlic clove halves over the duck legs. Place a piece of baking parchment directly on top of the duck legs to help retain moisture. Tightly cover the entire baking dish with foil.
- Bake duck legs in preheated oven for 3 hours. Turn off the oven, open oven door just a crack, and let baking dish rest in oven for 1 hour; do not uncover dish during this time. Remove dish from oven and let it cool to room temperature. Baste duck legs with some of the rendered fat. Place the baking parchment back over the duck legs and re-wrap the dish in foil. Refrigerate overnight.
- Mix hoisin sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and hot sauce together in a bowl.
- Remove bones from chilled duck legs; leave the skin on. Cut into 1cm cubes.
- Place a tablespoon of rendered duck fat in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir 1/2 of the cubed duck until pieces are brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the second 1/2 of the duck pieces and cook and stir until duck is just heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped spring onions.
- Place a generous spoonful of the duck inside each lettuce leaf 'cup'; drizzle serving sauce over the top. Garnish with diced cucumber, chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
