Tea smoked duck and Peking duck are two different dishes. Peking duck is a classic Chinese dish that is roasted until the skin is crispy and served with pancakes, scallions, and hoisin sauce. Tea smoked duck, on the other hand, is smoked over tea leaves and spices, giving it a unique smoky flavour.
You do that by using just duck breasts. Ideally, fatty duck breasts, from either store-bought birds or fat mallards, pintail, canvasbacks, wood ducks, specklebelly geese or Canada geese. This makes things much easier.
Sichuan peppercorns add a lot to the flavor here. Some large supermarkets carry them, or you can find them at Asian markets or buy Sichuan peppercorns online.
Note the stuff in the bottom of the wok. That’s what ignites and smokes the duck. It’s not just tea. A normal mix is tea, brown sugar, rice and other aromatics, like star anis pods, cinnamon sticks, dried tangerine or orange peel. I crush up my dried tangerine peels, but I left this one whole so you could see it.
Tea-smoked duck is a classic Chinese dish, and it normally involves an entire duck, lots of time, and at least three different cooking preparations, much like Peking duck. The real deal is daunting. So I’ve modified the process to make it slightly quicker and much easier, while retaining the same flavors.
If you want that pretty pink color, you will need to properly cure the duck breast. I’ve heard of the Chinese cure referred to as “dynamite,” and it might be old school saltpeter. But I use the safer and more modern sodium nitrite, sold variously as Prague Powder No. 1 or Insta Cure No. 1. You can skip it if you must, but the flavor will be different.
• 1 tbsp sugar • 1 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced • 2 tsps peanut or other vegetable oil • 1/3 cup duck stock or chicken stock • 8 ounces bok choy, coarsely chopped • 1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger • 2 to 4 fresh hot red chiles, thinly sliced
A Guide To Homemade Peking Duck
FAQ
What is the difference between duck and Peking duck?
Is crispy duck and Peking duck the same?
What type of duck is used for Peking duck?
Is Peking duck now called Beijing duck?
What is tea smoked duck?
Tea-smoked duck is a classic Chinese dish, and it normally involves an entire duck, lots of time, and at least three different cooking preparations, much like Peking duck. The real deal is daunting. So I’ve modified the process to make it slightly quicker and much easier, while retaining the same flavors. You do that by using just duck breasts.
What makes a good tea smoked duck?
Smoking was a culinary craft mastered by the Sichuan people as a better way to preserve flavor and the longevity of foods without refrigeration. A good tea smoked duck should have a haunting tea smoked flavor, well rendered, tender meat and a crackling skin. It can be served with buns and accompanied by a semisweet bean sauce.
Where did tea smoked duck come from?
Tea Smoked Duck is one of the most famous dishes of Sichuan Province, contrary to what most people believe it to originate from Hunan. Smoking was a culinary craft mastered by the Sichuan people as a better way to preserve flavor and the longevity of foods without refrigeration.
Can you smoke duck breast on a stovetop?
You do that by using just duck breasts. Ideally, fatty duck breasts, from either store-bought birds or fat mallards, pintail, canvasbacks, wood ducks, specklebelly geese or Canada geese. This makes things much easier. Tea smoked duck breast can be done on the stovetop, too, which makes it far more convenient for people who don’t own a smoker.