Pancake with hoisin duck
In her cookbook Eat Happy, Melissa Hemsley recommends this fantastic recipe for chickpea pancakes with duck. She considers the hoisin sauce the best part of this recipe; you can make it fresher with orange juice or give it a creamy touch with tahini.
Melissa: ‘Although it is virtually impossible to make a truly authentic Chinese duck yourself, my family is very enthusiastic about this version. I use duck breast, which is ready quite quickly and widely available, and quick pancakes made with chickpea flour.’
How to make pancake with hoisin duck
1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Using a sharp knife, score a diamond pattern into the skin of the duck breasts, sprinkle them with half the five-spice powder and salt, and rub both well into the skin.
3. For the hoisin sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl, taste and add salt and pepper if needed, and set aside.
4. Heat a large, ovenproof frying pan over high heat (no oil is needed) and place the duck breasts skin-side down in the pan. Sprinkle them with the remaining five-spice powder and salt. Fry for 3 minutes, until most of the fat has melted and the skin is golden brown.
5. Turn the duck breasts over and fry the other side for another 30 seconds. Place the pan in the oven to cook the duck further – 8 minutes for rare and 10 minutes for medium-rare – remove the meat from the oven and let it rest on a chopping board for 10 minutes. Make the chickpea batter during this time. While the meat is resting, fry the pancakes in the frying pan.
6. Pour the rendered duck fat into a bowl.
7. Slice the duck breasts thinly, sprinkle them with chilli flakes and arrange them on a platter, with the hoisin sauce in a bowl alongside. Place the wraps on another platter and put the cucumber slices and spring onions in separate bowls. Let everyone fill their own pancakes and spoon or pour over some hoisin sauce before adding the remaining ingredients.
Finish everything
Melissa: ‘Duck and orange are such a fantastic combination, but if you don’t have an orange, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the hoisin sauce. Save the duck fat to fry potatoes in.’
Title: Eat Happy, 30-minute Feelgood Food
Author: Melissa Hemsley
Publisher: Fontaine Uitgevers
Price: €29,95
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