Plan my Pancake Day
Plan my Pancake Day
Medium

Crispy duck pancakes with Mandarin pancakes and hoisin

Prep 30 minsCook 110 minsServes 4£3.80/servingSavoury

Crispy duck pancakes are among the best arguments for savoury food on Pancake Day. Two duck legs slow-roasted until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, then blasted at high heat until the skin is lacquer-crisp - shredded and served in homemade Mandarin pancakes with hoisin sauce, cucumber ribbons, and spring onion. The pancakes themselves are a hot-water dough that comes together quickly and rolls paper-thin. The whole recipe takes about two hours, most of which is unattended oven time.

Crispy duck pancakes with Mandarin pancakes and hoisin - savoury pancake recipe served on a plate, photographed from above

Ingredients

  • 2 large (about 750g) (2 large (about 26oz))duck legs, at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting
  • 1 tspChinese five-spice powder
  • 1 tspsea salt
  • 1 tbspdark soy sauce, for the glaze
  • 1 tspclear honey, for the glaze
  • 200g (7oz)plain flour, for Mandarin pancakes
  • 115ml (4fl oz)boiling water, just off the boil
  • 2 tspsesame oil, for brushing between pancake pairs
  • 6 tbsphoisin sauce, to serve
  • halfcucumber, cut into fine matchsticks
  • 6spring onions, trimmed and sliced lengthways into fine strips

Method

  1. 1

    Pat the duck legs completely dry with kitchen paper. Rub all over with Chinese five-spice and sea salt, making sure to get under any loose skin. Place skin-side up on a rack set over a roasting tin. Leave uncovered in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight. This dries the skin and is the key to crispiness.

  2. 2

    Remove the duck from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C conventional). Roast the duck legs on the rack for 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat is completely tender and pulling away from the bone.

  3. 3

    Mix the soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Brush generously over the skin. Increase oven to 220°C fan (240°C conventional). Return the duck to the oven for 15-20 minutes until the skin is deeply golden, lacquered, and very crispy.

  4. 4

    Rest the duck for 10 minutes. Use two forks to shred the meat away from the bone, breaking up any crispy skin and mixing it through the meat. Add a spoonful of the rendered fat from the roasting tin for richness.

  5. 5

    Make the Mandarin pancakes while the duck rests. Put the flour in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water gradually, stirring with a wooden spoon, until a shaggy dough forms. Knead briefly in the bowl until it just comes together, then turn out and knead on a lightly floured surface for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.

  6. 6

    Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a small disc. Brush the top of half the discs lightly with sesame oil. Press an unoiled disc on top of each oiled disc to make 8 pairs, oiled sides facing inward. Roll each pair out thinly into a circle of about 15-16cm diameter.

  7. 7

    Heat a dry non-stick frying pan over medium heat - no oil. Cook each pancake pair for 60-90 seconds on the first side until small brown spots appear and the surface looks dull. Flip and cook for 45 seconds. The pair should puff slightly in places.

  8. 8

    While each pair is still warm, peel the two pancakes apart - they should separate cleanly at the sesame oil layer. Stack under a clean tea towel to keep them soft and pliable.

  9. 9

    To serve: lay a pancake flat, spread with a thin layer of hoisin sauce, add a small mound of shredded duck, a few cucumber matchsticks, and some spring onion strips. Roll tightly and eat immediately.

Pro Tips

  • →The drying step for duck skin matters more than any other part of this recipe. Uncovered in the fridge overnight produces noticeably crispier results than starting from a fridge-cold wet leg.
  • →Roll the pancakes in pairs - it is not a technique trick for appearance but genuinely produces thinner, more pliable pancakes than rolling singles.
  • →Pancakes can be made a day ahead. Stack with greaseproof paper between each, wrap in foil, and reheat in a steamer or low oven for 3-4 minutes.
  • →The rendered duck fat is excellent for roasting potatoes. Pour it into a jar and refrigerate - it keeps for weeks.

Topping Ideas

Hoisin sauce, cucumber, and spring onion (the classic)Plum sauce instead of hoisin for a sweeter, sharper finishChilli oil alongside for heatShredded iceberg lettuce in place of cucumberA few drops of chilli sauce in the filling

Learn More

Terms in this recipe

GaletteBuckwheatDosaBlini

Defined in the Pancake Day glossary.

Questions & answers

What are Mandarin pancakes made from?⌄
Mandarin pancakes are made from a simple hot-water dough: plain flour mixed with boiling water to create a soft, pliable dough that is rested, then rolled thin and cooked briefly in a dry pan. The characteristic thinness is achieved by rolling the dough in pairs with a layer of sesame oil between them, then peeling them apart after cooking.
Can I use duck breast instead of duck legs for crispy duck pancakes?⌄
Duck legs are better for this recipe than duck breast. The legs have more connective tissue and fat, which renders down during slow roasting to keep the meat moist and flavourful. Duck breast is leaner and tends to dry out over the 90-minute cooking time required to crisp the skin properly. If using breast, reduce oven time significantly and watch carefully.
How do you get duck skin really crispy?⌄
Three things produce genuinely crispy duck skin: starting with completely dry skin (pat dry, then leave uncovered in the fridge for at least an hour), roasting on a rack so air circulates beneath the duck, and finishing with a high-heat glaze of soy sauce and honey. The drying step matters most - wet skin steams rather than crisps.
Can Mandarin pancakes be made ahead?⌄
Mandarin pancakes can be made up to one day ahead. Stack them with a small piece of greaseproof paper between each, wrap the stack in foil, and refrigerate. To serve, steam for 3-4 minutes or warm in a low oven (150°C) in the foil parcel for 5 minutes. They soften back to their original pliability.
What is the difference between hoisin sauce and plum sauce?⌄
Hoisin sauce is thicker, richer, and more savoury - made from fermented soybean paste with garlic, vinegar, and spices. Plum sauce is thinner, sweeter, and sharper, made from plums with ginger and vinegar. Hoisin is the traditional accompaniment to Peking duck pancakes; plum sauce is a reasonable substitute if you prefer a sweeter, lighter result.
How many Mandarin pancakes does this recipe make?⌄
This recipe makes 16 Mandarin pancakes from 200g of flour, giving 4 pancakes per person for a main course. Most people use 3-4 pancakes per serving. The pancakes are small - about 15cm diameter - and are meant to be rolled tightly with a modest amount of filling.
Is this recipe suitable for Pancake Day?⌄
Crispy duck pancakes make an excellent savoury main course for Pancake Day in place of the usual sweet options. The Mandarin pancakes are the centrepiece of the dish, and making them from scratch is a straightforward process. The duck can be prepared in advance and the pancakes made while it rests, so the meal comes together without too much last-minute effort.
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