Peking Duck , two ways

Recently we joined friends at a downtown Chinese Restaurant and enjoyed Peking Duck two ways. Actually there is also another way, three ways to enjoy the duck which is to finish by having a soup made from the duck bones. 

The presentation of the Peking duck always amazes me in how the duck is beautifully craved. The chef craves the duck starting with the crispy skin on the breast of the duck, the rest of the duck skin, then thin slices of the duck is added as in this picture. 

With the craved duck comes slices of cucumber and green onion, along with Chinese Pancakes. Hoisin sauce and hot sauce is also included.

Our friend has shown us previously how to assemble the wrap using a small bowl which was provide for this.  Layer the Chinese Pancake first into the small bowl, a layer of hoisin sauce, then a slice of  duck along with the cucumber and green onion. This is easily wrapped using the bowl as the form.

The second way to eat Peking Duck is in a lettuce wrap.  For this dish, the minced duck is sautéed in a wok with vegetables served on a bed of crisp rice noodles.  A plate of  Iceberg leaves was brought with the minced duck. The minced duck is wrapped in this icy cold crispy Iceberg lettuce leaf.   Since there was some crispy duck left, I did use it in my wrap. One could also use the Chinese pancake as a wrap for the minced duck, but the crunch of the icy cold lettuce cuts through the fatness of the duck.   

Other dishes, Chinese fried rice with Shrimp and BBQ pork, Tempura Squid and Curried Shrimp arrived after the two dishes of Peking Duck.  

When In Beijing, the year before the Olympics, we did have Peking Duck in one of the restaurant that was was known for its Peking Duck.   Here we only did Peking Duck one way, with floured crepes. 
The Quanjude restaurant is one of the oldest restaurant know for it's Peking Duck when 
established in 1864 during the Qing Dynasty.  Legend has it that the imperial recipe was bought from a retire chef from the palace. 

The condiments were set out for the Peking Duck on each table. 

Quanjude Restaurant in Beijing

The duck was craved in front of us and then plates of Duck were served to each table.

On each table were bamboo steamers with hot steamed Chinese Pancakes or flour Crepes.

The Peking duck was served to each of us.  

With the current news covering the increase of refugees crossing the Manitoba border, the conversation quickly turned to this topic.  Our Chinese friend talked about the hardship his great great grandfather had endured when brought along with 17,000 others to British Columbia to work on the railway in the 1980's. How his uncle's as avery young man had travel from there to Montreal to work at his family's laundry in Montreal.  Chinese workers who were given the most treacherous jobs worked for half the pay of their white workers and also need to pay for their food, cooking and camping gear.  The railway was completed in 1885 with many reminding in Canada.