Cantonese Recipe

Cantonese Roast Duck

Cantonese roast duck is a roast-meat shop standard with seasoned duck, crisp skin, and a savory-sweet glaze.

Recipe at a glance

PurposeHigh-frequency Chinese restaurant menu dish
Cuisine or formatCantonese
Menu variation ruleProtein may be adjusted without creating a separate recipe family.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole duck
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maltose
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • Five-spice powder
  • Ginger and scallion
  • Salt
  • Optional orange peel

Method

  1. Dry the duck thoroughly and season inside with salt, five-spice, ginger, and scallion.
  2. Brush skin with soy sauce, honey or maltose, and vinegar mixture.
  3. Air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
  4. Roast on a rack until the skin is browned and the meat is cooked.
  5. Rest before chopping.
  6. Serve with rice, noodles, or plum sauce.

Menu-literacy notes

  • Roast duck, duck on rice, and duck noodle soup can come from the same roast duck base.
  • Restaurant roast ducks use specialized equipment, so home versions are approximations.
  • This is different from Peking duck service.

Variations and substitutions

  • For chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, tofu, or mixed seafood variants, keep the same sauce logic and adjust the cooking time for the protein.
  • For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, broth, wrappers, cooking wine, and shared wok or fryer use.
  • For takeout-style dishes, sauce texture matters: the sauce should coat the food rather than become a thin soup.

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