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    Home » Round Up

    What to Serve with Peking Duck – 20 Delicious Ideas!

    Published on Sep 12, 2022 Modified: Sep 7, 2022 by Alexandria Drzazgowski.

    Peking Duck is a traditional Chinese dish with tender meat and crispy skin. Here are 20 of the best side dishes to serve with Peking Duck and make it a restaurant-worthy feast!

    Peking duck in a baking dish.

    Peking Duck is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and for obvious reasons. Not only does the tender meat have a decadent flavor but the dish’s signature perfect, crispy skin takes great skill and a long time to achieve. It’s not a meal that most Chinese people make at home.

    Many Chinese food restaurants in America that serve this dish require reservations as only so many ducks can be cooked in a day. That means it’s a wonderful challenge to try to replicate your own at home! The good news is you can enjoy the amazing flavor of authentic Peking Duck from home and the cooking process is not as hard as it seems.

    Peking Duck is the perfect main dish for a Chinese feast, and what really makes it special are the Peking Duck side dishes. Keep reading to see my perfect side dish suggestions to go with this culinary masterpiece. 

    Jump to:
    • How is Peking Duck Made? 
    • What are Traditional Peking Duck Side Dishes?
    • FAQs
    • Favorite Peking Duck Recipes
    • Expert tips
    • What to Serve with Peking Duck
    • Recipes to Serve with Peking Duck 
    • Chun Bing
    • Tian Mian Jiang
    • Cucumber and Scallion Salad
    • Pickled Radish
    • Lotus Leaf Buns
    • Bean Sprouts
    • Chinese Spring Rolls
    • How To Cook Long Grain White Rice in the Instant Pot
    • How to Make Brown Rice in the Instant Pot
    • Garlic Tofu
    • Korean Cucumber Salad
    • Glazed Carrots
    • Cold Cucumber Salad
    • Vietnamese Garlic Noodles
    • Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
    • Chinese Style Green Beans
    • Spicy Szechuan Noodles
    • Garlic Bok Choy
    • Instant Pot Ramen
    • Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad

    How is Peking Duck Made? 

    A plate of sliced peking duck and served with white rice.

    After the insides of the duck are cleaned out, the skin is separated from the meat with a pump of air. 

    The whole duck is dipped in boiling water to shrink the skin and the marinade is slowly applied with a pastry brush. The duck is then dried out for hours or even overnight. 

    The next day, the duck is hung to roast in a woodfire oven, allowing the fat to drip off and the marinade to sink into the tender meat. It’s a popular dish for a special occasion like Chinese New Year celebrations.

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    What are Traditional Peking Duck Side Dishes?

    Traditional Peking Duck is served with thin pancakes (Chun Bing) also called Mandarin Pancakes, sweet bean sauce (Tian Mian Jiang) or hoisin sauce, julienned cucumber and scallions.

    If you were to order a Peking Duck meal at a restaurant, it would likely come with each of these items. 

    The best way to eat it is to place the pancake in the center of your plate. Spread the middle with the sweet bean sauce. Add the delicious duck on top of the sauce and then add a few cucumbers and scallions on top of the duck. Roll the bottom of the pancake up over the duck and then roll it like a small burrito. Pick it up with your chopsticks and enjoy.

    FAQs

    Chopsticks holding up a slice of peking duck over the plate with white rice served on the side.
    What Does Peking Duck Taste Like?

    You might assume duck meat would taste similar to chicken or turkey, but the delicious taste is actually more like steak or red meat. Classic Peking Duck is cooked medium-rare in a way that retains moisture and flavor, and the crisp skin with plum duck sauce provides the perfect balance of sweetness and crunch to each bite. 

    When served traditionally with Mandarin pancakes, bean sauce, cucumbers and green onions, it’s a perfect mix of savory flavor with refreshing vegetables. 

    What Type of Duck is Used for Peking Duck?

    Peking Duck is usually made with a white duck called a Pekin Duck or Long Island Duck. This descendant of the Mallard is the most popular breed raised in America for meat. If you’re buying duck in your local grocery store and are worried about the kind of duck, it is most likely a Pekin duck.

    Though you might assume the name of the dish Peking Duck came from Pekin Duck, that is purely coincidence. The dish was actually named after China’s capital town, Beijing, formerly known as Peking. 

    Is Duck Healthier than Chicken?

    Chicken is a staple in most American households, but duck is actually lower in cholesterol and sodium and may be higher in some vitamins.

    Whether or not duck is truly healthier than chicken will depend on how it is prepared. The skin of the duck is much thicker and fattier than chicken skin, which is part of what makes Peking Duck such a delicacy. 

    Is Duck Safe to Consume Pink?

    Duck meat has a dark pink color and is often cooked medium-rare like red meat. To be safe for consumption, duck must reach an internal temperature of 165 degree fahrenheit. If you’re making this dish at home I recommend using a meat thermometer. 

    Can you Save the Duck Fat?

    Duck fat is used to add extra flavor to a variety of recipes. After roasting your duck, you can save the leftover liquid in the pan and refrigerate it to separate the fat from the liquid. The leftover white fat at the top can be used to make potatoes or any kind of fried vegetables.

    Don’t Forget the Bones!

    It’s common once you have eaten your Peking Duck to save the remaining bones and create a soup with it the next day. Many restaurants expect guests to ask for the bones. 

    Boil the bones (and any meat left on them) with some water or chicken stock, ginger, and onions for one to two hours. Pour the stock into a separate pot, straining out any bones or chunks, add some Napa cabbage and cook until the cabbage is limp.

    Some recipes call for adding a splash of milk along with some salt and pepper.

    Favorite Peking Duck Recipes

    • My Peking Duck recipe turned out much better than I imagined and was surprisingly easy to put together. 
    • If you want to try a spicy rendition of this dish try this recipe from Kitchen Sanctuary.
    • If you’re still intimidated by the thought of roasting an entire duck, try this recipe for duck breast in the air fryer from The Top Meal
    • This Peking Chicken from Simply Stacie is super easy to put together in the crock pot and while it’s not duck, it has great flavor!

    Expert tips

    • Restaurant-quality Peking Duck is cooked hanging in an oven, but most kitchen ovens are not big enough to hang a duck inside. Instead, you can place your duck on a rack or place it inside a roasting pan to allow the heat to travel all around it. Rotate it every 30 minutes during the cooking process to ensure an even cook.
    • Separating the duck skin from the meat gives the fat somewhere to drain to and allows you to achieve the crispy skin this dish is known for. Don’t be intimidated by this step! You can use your hand to gently pull the skin away or slide the end of a bike pump into a cavity and pump some air through the skin. 
    • Once the fat is cooked away, your duck will be much smaller than it starts out. Take this into consideration when you’re purchasing your duck.
    • Making a few pricks in your duck will give the fat a path to run out. You want as much fat as possible to drip out of the duck while cooking.

    What to Serve with Peking Duck

    Vegetables: bean sprouts, julienned cantaloupe, garlic, pickled radish

    Wraps: Lotus leaf buns (mantou), spring roll

    Fruits: cherries, apricots, apples, oranges

    Sides: white rice, green beans, garlic tofu, stir-fried noodles, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, green salad, stir-fry vegetables, glazed carrots, roasted brussels sprouts, arugula salad, french fries, sweet potato mash, potato wedges, au gratin potatoes

    Recipes to Serve with Peking Duck 

    Chun Bing

    Chun bing on a platter.

    Thin, soft and pliable, Peking duck pancakes (from Red House Spice) can be easily made from scratch. They’re perfect wraps for any fillings of your choice.

    Read More

    Tian Mian Jiang

    Jars of Tian Mian Jiang.

    Sweet bean sauce (tián miàn jiàng, 甜面酱) (from The Woks of Life) is a thick, dark brown condiment and seasoning made from wheat flour, sugar, salt, and sometimes fermented soybeans. As the name suggests, the sauce is sweet, though it’s also salty and adds umami to dishes. 

    Read More

    Cucumber and Scallion Salad

    Cucumber and scallion salad.

    This delicate cucumber scallion salad (from Foodie with Family) is about as simple as it gets; julienned seedless cucumbers and scallions are tossed with a simple dressing of rice vinegar, oil, and sesame seeds. It pairs beautifully with fish and delicate proteins.

    Read More

    Pickled Radish

    Pickled radishes sliced in a glass jar.

    How to make Korean style radish pickles (from My Korean Kitchen) using pink radish. It’s simple, easy and moreish! 

    Read More

    Lotus Leaf Buns

    Lotus leaf buns on a cutting board and in a bowl.

    Okay by now, maybe you’re tired of me talking about steamed buns. Buns, buns, buns. But before you avert your eyes, I will say that I’ve used the dough recipe for these Steamed Lotus Leaf Buns (from The Woks of Life) so many times that I just know it works. These homemade steamed buns are super fluffy and slightly chewy—just the way they should be—and they’re meant to be filled!

    Read More

    Bean Sprouts

    Bean sprouts on a plate.

    Mung bean sprouts (from The Spruce Eats) are one of the most popular vegetables in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine. These crunchy vegetables are simply the sprout of mung beans, a legume that’s widely used in both savory and sweet preparations. As a stir-fry ingredient, they are very versatile and can be combined with other vegetables and all sorts of proteins, from beef to tofu, shrimp, or chicken. These plump, silver-white strands are also visually appealing, and their crunch is irresistible. 

    Read More

    Chinese Spring Rolls

    Chinese spring rolls in a basket sitting on parchment paper.

    Traditional Chinese Spring Rolls (from China Sichuan Food) with shredded pork and vegetables, named as “three shreds spring rolls – 三丝春卷”.

    Read More

    How To Cook Long Grain White Rice in the Instant Pot

    Large green serving bowl filled with long grain white rice prepared in the instant pot.
    If you have never made rice in your instant pot you are missing out! It takes just 10 minutes to make perfectly cooked rice to go alongside your lunch or dinner. When you need dinner on the table fast, this Instant Pot Long Grain White Rice is for you!
    Read More

    How to Make Brown Rice in the Instant Pot

    A small pot filled with cooked brown rice sitting next to a cloth napkin.
    It is SO easy to cook Brown Rice in your Instant Pot! Goodbye 40 minute long cook times! This recipe will provide a fast, simple, and perfect-every-time recipe to make your weeknight dinners that much easier.
    Read More

    Garlic Tofu

    Garlic tofu in a small bowl and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

    Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu (from Christie At Home). Crispy tofu pan fried in a garlicky, savoury umami based sauce. This tofu dish is so good it may convert the people in your life to enjoy it! 

    Read More

    Korean Cucumber Salad

    Korean cucumber salad in a bowl topped with red dressing and sesame seeds.
    Korean Cucumber Salad is a sweet and spicy side dish that’s perfect for a BBQ alongside other Korean dishes. If you’re looking for something fresh to add to the table, give this easy salad a try!
    Read More

    Glazed Carrots

    Glazed carrots in a bowl.

    These Asian-Style Honey Glazed Carrots (from The Busy Baker) are the perfect sweet and savoury side dish pan fried to perfection with a sticky honey soy glaze, garlic and ginger.

    Read More

    Cold Cucumber Salad

    Cold cucumber salad served in a bowl.

    This easy cold cucumber salad recipe (from Greedy Girl Gourmet) is spicy & delicious but only requires 4-ingredients and 10 minutes to make. A perfect summer recipe, it’s not only super refreshing, you don’t have to slave in a hot kitchen to make it!

    Read More

    Vietnamese Garlic Noodles

    Vietnamese garlic noodles in a bowl with chopsticks on the side.

    Vietnamese Garlic Noodles (from Balance with Jess), or Mì Xào Tỏi, are the ultimate side dish! Plump chewy noodles are coated in a buttery, garlicky, umami-rich sauce that enhances any dish it’s paired with. It’s a crowd favorite for a reason!

    Read More

    Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

    Chopsticks of fried rice
    This Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is amazing! It tastes just like takeout fried rice and is simpler than even picking up the phone to order Chinese. And it cooks in 4 minutes!
    Read More

    Chinese Style Green Beans

    Chinese style green beans served on a plate.

    These Chinese style, dry fried garlic green beans (from Drive Me Hungry) are blistered until perfectly wrinkled & sautéed with lots of garlic. Inspired by Din Tai Fung green beans. The perfect Asian side dish!

    Read More

    Spicy Szechuan Noodles

    Spicy szechuan noodles being picked up by a pair of chopsticks.

    These spicy Szechuan noodles with garlic chili oil (from Drive Me Hungry) are ready in only 10 minutes! Wide noodles are tossed in a spicy, garlicky Szechuan chili oil sauce made with garlic, Szechuan chili peppers, soy sauce, and fresh herbs.

    Read More

    Garlic Bok Choy

    Cooked garlic bok choy.

    Crisp, fresh, and bursting with loads of unexpected flavor, this Garlic Bok Choy Recipe (from The Forked Spoon) is guaranteed to be your new favorite side dish. Ready in just 10 minutes, enjoy this easy vegetarian side dish with chicken, beef, or fish.

    Read More

    Instant Pot Ramen

    Instant pot ramen soup.

    This recipe for Instant Pot Ramen (from Recipes From A Pantry) is super easy, healthy, and full of great umami flavor! With just a few simple ingredients, you can enjoy delicious Ramen noodles whenever the craving strikes.

    Read More

    Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad

    Raw courgette ribbon salad.

    Two green vegetables, plus one fresh herb, plus unconventional Earl Grey tea salad dressing, equals what? Our Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad (from Somebody Feed Seb) is both delicious and nutritious! Highly versatile, this 10-minute salad can be served as a side dish at your next BBQ party or make a perfect companion to your fish dishes!

    Read More
    Collage of foods shown that will pair well with peking duck.

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