Peking Duck: Lotus Garden

One of my favorite foods is Peking duck. I've had it several times at a very nice restaurant in Beverly Hills (when attending the USC Tax Institute with John Mirau), in Monterey Park (with Wing Lau and Eddie Ngo and our wives), in Beijing, China (with Judy, Rachael and Nate, where it originated), and finally, many times with Wing Lau at Lotus Garden in San Bernardino. The Peking duck at Lotus Garden is as good or better than that I've have had at the other places. I decided I wanted to try and make Peking duck for Judy this Mother's Day. In anticipation and preparation for that, I went to Lotus Garden with Wing Lau and had the Peking duck with the intention of paying attention to how they presented it and for a comparison. The duck is brought to a small portable table near our booth.

A chef begins to carve the bird, cutting off the legs and wings which are put on one separate plate, and carving off breast and other meat which is put on another plate.

The legs and wings are on one plate are for us to pick up and eat as they are. We generally pick them up by the bone and eat them by hand, perhaps adding a little hoisin sauce. I don't believe any of the other restaurants I've been to do it this way.


The other plate, with the carved breast and other body meat, is used to make the little crepes or burritos (I'm not sure what they are called) with the addition of Chinese pancake, hoisin sauce and scallions. The restaurant we went to in Monterey Park separated the duck skin from the duck meat and served it separately. I like it better with the skin connected to the meat.

The chef adds some hoison sauce to the Chinese pancake, then puts on slices of scallion.

Then, slices of duck meat, including skin, are added on top.

My pictures of the finished product did not turn out, but as always, it was wonderful. We were then offered the balance of the carcass to take home, which I did. It can be used to make soup, or just to heat up and pick off the remaining meat.

Well, we'll see how my version turns out. I hope it is edible.