The most populated country in the world belongs to China at approximately 1.39 billion people and is located in East Asia with cuisine as vast and varied as the country itself. Due to China’s expansive territories, opinions diverge on how many distinct regional cuisines exist however for the sake of my blog I will narrow it down to four. In the South they feature a lot of rice and lightly seasoned stir-fried dishes. In northern China they feature dishes made with wheat flour, such as noodles, dumplings, thin pancakes, and the famous dish from Beijing, Peking duck. China’s east coast emphasizes seafood and strong-flavored sauces and the inland is known for its spicy dishes made with hot peppers, garlic, onions, and leeks.
Although I have a deep love for all of the above I decided to focus in on the Peking duck which has been prepared for hundreds of years. The proper technique of cooking (which I have no intention of doing) involves pumping air under the skin to separate the skin from the fat, soaking in boiling water, hanging up to dry, glazing with a layer of maltose syrup, and then roasting in the oven until shiny brown. Once complete the duck is typically sliced and served with thin pancakes, scallions, cucumber, and hoisin sauce.
Now the fun part – where to go?
My favorite spot for non take out Chinese is currently RedFarm or their sister restaurant Decoy for the duck. Although they both would be considered high end Chinese-American restaurants (what runs me $5 for chicken lo mein at my local spot turns into a $28 rice noodle with BBQ’d duck breast) – I can appreciate their clean, fresh approach to Chinese using only quality ingredients.
In an effort to be a little more authentic than the usual I have decided to take this party down to Chinatown which (fun fact) has the largest concentration of Chinese in the western hemisphere. Clearly with a multitude of options I decided to stick to the theme and head to the Peking Duck House on Mott Street for dinner as it has been around for 35+ years and has a decent reputation.
Wanderlust Chef 