I love meat. I am an absolute carnivore. I highly doubt that a day goes by without me consuming meat or products that are made of animals. Apologies to all vegetarians out there, I think it’s great that you do not consume meat and I have nothing but the utmost respect for you especially if the reason for not eating meat is to take a stand against cruelty in animal farming… but I am just not convicted. In fact, I am SO thankful for meat. Now I’m starting to sound like a little child saying “Thank you God for peanut butter” haha. In all seriousness, thank you God for MEAT!

Duck is high up on my list of favorite foods but it is impossible choose my ultimate favorite. I suppose that’s when you know you are a true foodie. There is way too many favorite dishes to choose from as the ultimate favorite. I don’t remember the first moment in my life when Roast Duck was introduced to my palate. All I know is, I have known Roast Duck as one of my favorite foods my whole life. Growing up, I have fond memories of going to Hong Kong Noodle House, a Chinese restaurant in my hometown Kuching (in Malaysia), most Sundays after church and ordering Roast Duck with Rice or Noodles.

Here in Melbourne, I also have fond memories of having Roast Duck Rice from South Melbourne Market for lunch when I was still at work (haven’t been for 7 months now since I’ve been on maternity leave!) as well as wonderful memories of authentic crispy roast duck from Simon’s Peking Duck as well as a few other places. Basically, I love duck.

Which is why it was only a matter of time before I start roasting my own duck at home for my duck fix. Luv-A-Duck has a great range of delicious ready to eat duck and only recently I’ve indulged in many rolls of Peking Duck. However, I haven’t cooked a whole roast duck in years!

This recipe was passed on to me by a friend’s mum. Her recommendation was to steam the duck for approx. 90 minutes before roasting it in the oven to get the skin to crisp. Unfortunately, my steamer is too small for this duck so I had to improvise and slow roast it in the oven instead. I was pretty happy with the taste of the duck – the marinades blended with the natural flavours of the duck perfectly! Sadly, because I was too busy multi-tasking aka looking after my 6-month old son as well as check on the duck every now and then, I didn’t get to supervise my duck closely enough and as a result my skin wasn’t crispy. I couldn’t leave it in the oven any longer than I already did to crispen the skin because I didn’t want the meat to dry out. So my skin wasn’t crispy, but it was still delicious nevertheless! I will post the recipe below as described by my friend’s mum so you will get the best result! Good luck and have yummy fun when it’s time to tuck in!

To make the glaze, mix all the ingredients mentioned above. Remove foil from the roasting dish, add 5 tbsp of the juices from the dish into the glaze mix. Discard all the remaining juices so the roasting dish is now dry. Glaze the skin of the duck with the mixture on both sides.

Place the roasting dish back into the oven and increase the oven temperature to 180C. Roast each side of the duck for approx. 20 minutes, or until the skin is crispy.

Serving Suggestion: Roast Duck with Roast Potatoes & Onions, Steamed Brocollini

Serve with desired side dishes. Roast duck goes really well with roast potatoes, steamed veggies, in a Chinese Peking Duck pancake with cucumber, spring onions and Hoi Sin Sauce or on a steamed bed of rice.

Serving Suggestion: Peking Duck Pancakes with Cucumber, Spring Onion & Hoi Sin Sauce