It is one of the stars of traditional Chinese cuisine, even though originally it was only
a delicacy for emperors.
Lacquered, Beijing, Pekingese... Whatever its name, lacquered duck
is accompanied by a whole ritual, both in its careful and slow preparation and when serving it
.
In addition, it even has its own day -January 18-, which this time coincides with the Chinese New Year celebrations (starts on January 23).
Here is a selection of places to enjoy this imperial morsel.
Don Lay.
Don Lay
Nieves Ye's restaurant, a benchmark for authentic Chinese cuisine,
has had several lives.
The first, from 2002 to 2015, on Paseo de Extremadura, where it became a temple of Cantonese cuisine.
The second, the one that since 2019 lives in the Salamanca neighborhood (Castelló, 117), where
it reopened without losing the essence with which it was born.
And in both the lacquered duck has been present.
The poultry they use comes from Holland - "
it's good that it comes from cold climates, because that way the meat has more fat", they explain from the dining room -
and it goes through a complex process.
First, "it is blown with an inflator to separate the skin from the meat;
it is marinated with ginger, chives, pomace, salt, sugar and various herbs and is left to dry overnight.
Then the duck is lacquered in the oven and pour boiling oil on the skin," they continue.
And, to finish the cooking and have a smoky touch, it is hung on the grill
.
When it's time to enjoy it,
if the diner requests it, it can be served with a careful ceremonial
process that consists of carving the duck in the room and presenting it in two steps: the crispy skin and the meat -it is taken in rolls with the wafers, plum hoisin sauce and finely chopped raw vegetables- and
a broth prepared with the bird's carcass.
Price: 89 euros whole;
49 half duck.
Hutong.
hutong
From a dining room with a lot of history to a more recent one, opened at the end of 2020 at Calle Lagasca, 81.
Upon entering, a traditional oven gives us clues as to which is the king of the house
, which is none other than a lacquered duck Pekingese that finishes its last cooking (about 55 minutes) in this oven,
fed with fruit wood,
which gives it an aromatic touch.
Once finished, the tasting begins.
This starts with
crispy skin, accompanied by pan de cristal and caviar
, and continues with the duck presented with a traditional sauce, crêpes, cucumbers and Chinese onion, among other accompaniments.
Price: 65 euros whole;
35 euro average.
In addition, until February 12 it is included in the special New Year's menu of the China Taste gastro conference (58 euros).
Kököchin.
Kokochin
Opened just over a year ago in the Valdemarín neighborhood
(Camino de la Zarzuela, 21), it is the latest project of the Mandarin Group (owners of El Bund and Casa Lafu).
In this house
specializing in dishes from Canton, Sichuan, Shanghai and Beijing
, the Pekingese duck has a leading role, which they prepare with care and time and present whole.
It is eaten in two services: on the one hand, the meat, the wafers, the vegetables and the hoisin sauce with which the rolls are prepared;
on the other and to choose,
the rest of the duck meat sautéed in a wok with vegetables or a soup
, made with the carcasses of the bird, with noodles and tomato.
Price: 85 euros.
China Crown.
china crown
The Beijing imperial duck
at this restaurant (Don Ramón de la Cruz, 6) has an old story.
As much as his recipe, which dates back six centuries and which
chef Felipe Bao has recovered from his trips to China
.
Iconic dish of this house, it requires a complex preparation of
more than five hours
that begins with a careful cleaning of the bird and continues with a slow and long process of lacquering with water, crystal sugar, honey and spices that, in addition to providing the characteristic color bright, gives it an intense and sweet flavor.
It is then
hung on top of a smoker oven for its characteristic flavor and crisp skin
.
Once cooked, Felipe carves it in front of the diner with a traditional technique that includes two cuts: with the
feather style
he separates the bird into two halves that he cuts into thin slices and with
the Beijing duck skin style
he makes an incision under the wing, raising all the skin without touching the meat.
All that remains is to serve it and accompany it with crêpes, leeks and goji quince as a garnish.
Price: 85 euros whole;
55 euro average.
Manolita Chen.
manolita chen
The contemporary oriental cuisine that reigns in Madrid also has room for this icon of Chinese gastronomy.
For example, this establishment in Castelló, 18
led by the restless and young entrepreneur Eva Chen
(1990), the third generation of Chinese restaurateurs in Spain.
Here, they begin by preparing the duck "using a puffing technique to allow air to pass between the meat and the skin and taking care not to break the skin.
Next, we scald the duck, clean the skin well, add a mixture of spices and infused soy in cinnamon sticks and star anise,
and we lacquered the piece several times with honey and rice vinegar," explains Eva Chen, also owner of La Pagoda.
They serve it already carved and ready to eat with crêpes,
cucumber and leek garnish - "which gives it freshness" - and the traditional homemade hoisin sauce, with a touch of peanuts.
Price: 18.90 euros, half a duck loin.
Mythic
Mythic
In this dining room owned by Sor Ángela de la Cruz, 22 are committed to
traditional and meticulous preparation from start to finish
.
Thus, according to what they say from the dining room, they prepare a mixture -which they make by boiling water, malt sugar, red vinegar, Chinese brandy, yellow and red coloring-, with which they
bathe the duck about 10 times until it takes on its characteristic orange color
.
"Then, we hang the bird and let it dry and macerate for 12 hours."
Once ready, it arrives at the table sliced and with crêpes, cucumber, leek and hoisin sauce.
Price: 58.95 euros whole;
36.95 medium.
Hong Kong in Chinatown.
Hong Kong 70 in Chinatown
Located in the famous Chinatown of Usera
(Nicolás Sánchez, 11), in the Paloma Fang restaurant (Grupo Bellaciao) they opt for the classic preparation of duck: from lacquering to roasting.
With the kitchen visible and as tradition dictates,
the birds are hung so that the diner can see how the cooks choose the piece and carve it
.
The duck is served in three formats: quarter, half and whole.
It can also be ordered combined with the rest of the roasts offered on your menu.
Prices: 9.80 euros, 16.20 euros and 26.80 euros.
I'm Kitchen.
I'm Kitchen
We close with an author proposal
: that of the restless
Julio Zhang, who has revolutionized Asian cuisine in his own way
.
And in his own way it is the duck that he serves in his establishment on Zurbano, 59, because Julio
only serves the thigh that he makes with the juices of the bird
, lacquered it and presents it with seasonal vegetables, pickles and crêpes.
Price: 28.50 euros.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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