The Famous Peking Duck（北京烤鸭介绍） 北京烤鸭 中国传统菜谱 by Guest Author Ronghe Yu
Edited by Rhonda Parkinson
Along with the grand view of the Great Wall, travelers to Peking shouldn't miss trying the Peking Roasted Duck. To enjoy the famous duck, the restaurant Quan Ju De is the best choice for you. It has multiple outlets in Peking (Beijing). The old restaurant first opened in 1860. The duck here is said to be the best in Peking, and the service is very good as well.
Before you take up the menu, you might want to know more about how Peking Roasted Duck is made and how it is served. The ducks are raised for the sole purpose of making the food. Force-fed, they are kept in cages which restrain them from moving about, so as to fatten them up and make the meat comparably tender. Peking Roasted Duck is processed in several steps: first the ducks are rubbed with spices, salt and sugar, and then kept hung in the air for some time. Then the ducks are roasted in an oven, or hung over the fire till they become brown with rich grease perspiring outside and have a nice odor.
Peking Duck is always served in well-cut slices. The whole duck must be sliced into 120 pieces and every piece has to be perfect with the complete layers of the meat. Normally there are many dishes served with the duck, including a dish of fine-cut shallot bars, a dish of cucumber bars and finally a dish of paste-like soy of fermented wheat flour. Without these the dainty duck is surely in the shade.
When first served Peking Duck I hesitated to take up my chopsticks, not knowing what to begin with. There is a knack to it: first, pick up a slice of duck with the help of a pair of chopsticks and dip it into the soy paste. Next, lay it on the top of a thin cake and add some bars of cucumber and shallot. Finally, wrap the stuff into a bundle with the sheet cake (a thin pancake). The real secret of Peking duck's flavor lies in your carefully nibbling away at the mixture. You will find all the different ingredients very compatible. Of course, beer is the popular drink for the dinner. It helps to fade away the greasiness of the duck. But it is not necessary to order extra soup, for the duck-bone soup is always included in your order. It will be served as the rear dish for the dinner.
In my four visits to the different duck restaurants of Quan Ju De, I found the services there were always quite good. And the price of the duck there was quite moderate----400 RMB Yuan for a duck feast. Furthermore, the clean and well-decorated rooms and the character of the waiters and waitresses impressed me quite deeply. "Where's my next restaurant to enjoy the Peking Roasted Duck?" you may ask. Quan Ju De would surely be my answer.
I hope you will enjoy the delicacy of the Roasted Duck on your next visit to Peking. But don't forget to practice dealing with chopsticks before you enter Quan Ju De. However, tips for the service are not necessary in Chinese restaurants, although a pair of chopsticks are.
About the Author:
Ronghe Yu graduated from the Shandong Teacher's University, China, and lives in Shandong province. As a bilingual writer and cameraman, he devotes himself to promoting the exchange of cultures between China and the English world Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe（咕咾肉的做法）菜谱 recipes 咕咾肉 中国传统菜谱
This sweet and sour pork is prepared American-style with more batter and deep-fried twice for extra crispiness.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
* 3/4 pound pork tenderloin
* 2 - 3 teaspoons soy sauce
* Pinch of cornstarch
* Sauce:
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons ketchup
* 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup water or reserved pineapple juice
* 1/4 cup vinegar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
* Batter:
* 1/3 cup flour
* 1/3 cup cornstarch
* 1 egg white, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup warm water, as needed
* Other:
* 1 carrot
* 1/2 red bell pepper
* 1/2 green bell pepper
* 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
* 3 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed
Preparation:
Directions for sweet and sour pork
Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Marinate in the soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, water or juice and vinegar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Set aside.
Peel the carrot and chop on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into cubes.
Heat the oil for deep--frying to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch. Stir in the egg white and vegetable oil. Add as much of the warm water as is needed to form a thick batter that is neither too dry or too moist. (The batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon).
Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter. Deep-fry in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry the pork until it is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
(If desired you can deep-fry the pork at second time to make it extra crispy. Make sure the oil is back up to 375 before you begin deep-frying again).
To prepare the sweet and sour sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, green pepper, and pineapple. Bring to a boil again and thicken with cornstarch mixture, stirring. Check the sauce one more time and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired. Serve hot over the deep-fried pork. Serve sweet and sour pork hot over rice.
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