Famed for its traditionally prepared wood-fired Peking Duck, Shangri-La Hotel, Tianjin invites guests to watch expert duck chef Yuan Chao Ying prepare the finest-quality farmed duck by hang-grilling it over jujube wood to provide a thick, crispy melt-in-the-mouth experience. With almost 40 years of experience, Chef Yuan invites guests to indulge in Peking Duck, along with Chinese pancakes and buns, traditional condiments and the Shang Palace's home-made duck sauce.
Existing since the South-Song dynasty, the Roast Duck dish was originally named Zhiya. By the Ming dynasty, it featured as one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. Containing protein, natural fat, carbohydrate, calcium, iron and vitamin B, duck meat is very nutritious and is a popular choice for those who wish to eat a healthy food.
The 2.5-kilogram Beijing duck selected from Jinxing Duck Farm is the guarantee of the authenticity and tastiness of Peking Duck. Authorised as the only raw ingredient, Beijing duck is fed in a special way for a quick accumulation and balanced distribution of lean meat and natural fat. This ensures that, after 70 minutes of roasting, the finished duck is thin, crispy and tender with a fine claret colour.
The traditional "hang-grilling" method of duck roasting dates back 153 years. Peking Duck is carefully prepared through an intricate process of cleansing, scalding, coating, airing and water filling. Experienced chefs strictly monitor and carefully perform every part of the procedure. In terms of scalding and airing, for example, it is critical that the chefs master the soaking time of the duck in boiling water and the airing sequence to maintain the duck's even and well-rounded shape, as well achieve as a crispy taste.
Peking Duck adopts the use of jujube wood for duck roasting, a tradition that dates back more than 100 years. While heated, the wood gives off a clear and scented smoke that envelops the entire duck; the heat from the strong fire radiates to the top of the custom-made oven and then reflects back to the duck. The fire hole is blocked by three red bricks to provide a fair and even roasting process.
After 70 minutes, the finished duck is delicately sliced into breast, leg and head portions, ready to be served separately. The head is cleaved from the middle, and topped with two fillets. From the head to the leg, the entire duck is presented to the guests.
The roasting and sale of the duck are seamlessly connected and recirculation of the finished duck is strictly forbidden. Duck slicing usually takes six to eight minutes, with each piece sliced in a willow-leaf shape, 5 centimetres long and 0.2 centimetres thick. The duck is served with condiments, such as Lotus Chinese Pancakes, home-made Cucumber Sauce, spring onions, cucumber sticks, garlic sauce and sugar.
The ingredients of Peking Duck and are also very particular. For example, the Chinese Pancakes are made of high-quality flour, thin as paper, but the pancake is chewy with the crispy duck skin. The spring onion is from Shandong Zhangqiu; the shredded white and crispy section add more flavour.
The hotel offers a variety of Roast Duck choices:
Choice one: It is said this choice rose from the ladies of the big house. They are not willing to eat onion, but also do not want to eat garlic. However, they like to eat the crispy duck skin, especially when dipped in fine white sugar.
Choice two: Onion-sweetened soybean paste may be added, along with cucumber, using chopsticks to put in a little sweetness in the Lotus-Leaf-Shaped Pancake, then topping it with several slices of Roasted Duck. With onions and cucumber, the refined Duck Roll is really very delicious.
Choice three: Mashed garlic and cucumber sauce can also be used to eat the fine Duck Roll which is another popular method from the early years. Mashed garlic releases oil, which produces a film.
The duck soup which is simmered gently tastes great. Adding tofu and baby cabbage makes the soup more refreshing.
Chef Yuan Chao Ying has been in the industry for almost 40 years and is a maestro in kitchen operations, especially duck roasting. Prior to joining Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Chef Yuan worked for Quanjude and Ya Yuan Roast Duck at Beijing's City Hotel. Chef Yuan has participated in several culinary communication exchanges in Japan, Germany, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Paris and Taiwan through which he has presented authentic roast duck to the world, and he has served several iconic political figures and world celebrities. In his desire to carry forward the Roast Duck tradition, Chef Yuan innovates while keeping the essence of traditional Chinese cuisine.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited, one of the world's premier hotel management companies, currently operates over 95 hotels in 22 countries and 73 destinations under the Shangri-La, Kerry, Hotel Jen and Traders brands. Prominently positioned in Asia, the group has established its brand hallmark of "hospitality from the heart" over four decades in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, North America and the Indian Ocean. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in mainland China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. For more information, please visit www.shangri-la.com.