Description
Duck Bao is a delicious Asian-inspired dish featuring tender, five-spice seasoned duck breasts served in fluffy steamed bao buns. The duck is pan-seared to crispy perfection and paired with a flavorful hoisin-kewpie mayo sauce, crunchy red cabbage, fresh coriander, and a spicy kick from sliced red chillies, garnished with sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts for added texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Bao Buns
- 10–12 bao buns
Duck and Marinade
- 2 duck breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons Chinese five spice
Sauce and Fillings
- ½ cup Kewpie mayo
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 1–2 long red chillies, finely sliced
- 2 cups finely sliced red cabbage
- Fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve
- Sesame seeds and/or crushed roasted peanuts, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the duck breasts: Take the duck breasts out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Using a sharp knife, carefully score just the skin of the duck breasts in a ½ inch criss-cross pattern without cutting through to the meat. This allows the fat to render effectively.
- Season the duck: Pour the olive oil and salt over the duck breasts and rub it all over to evenly coat. Then, place the duck skin side down and sprinkle the Chinese five spice powder over the meat side, rubbing it in thoroughly by hand for maximum flavor infusion.
- Cook the duck skin side down: Place the duck breasts, skin side down, into a cold large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes to render the skin fat and achieve a golden brown and crispy texture.
- Finish cooking the duck: Flip the duck breasts over and cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes, depending on your desired doneness. Finally, lean the duck breasts against each other so the fattest side sears in the pan for about 1 minute to crisp up all sides.
- Prepare the sauce and fillings: While the duck cooks, mix the Kewpie mayo and hoisin sauce together in a small bowl. Also prepare the sliced red chillies, finely sliced red cabbage, fresh coriander, and set out your sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts for garnish. Steam the bao buns according to package instructions or your preferred method.
- Rest the duck: Remove duck breasts from the pan and place them skin side up on a chopping board. Let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.
- Slice and assemble: Thinly slice the rested duck breasts. Open each steamed bao bun and layer in slices of duck, drizzle with the hoisin-Kewpie mayo sauce, add red cabbage, sliced chillies, fresh coriander, and sprinkle with sesame seeds or crushed peanuts.
- Serve and enjoy: Serve the assembled duck bao immediately while warm. Optionally leave a comment and rating acknowledging this flavorful recipe.
Notes
- Scoring the duck skin helps render fat and crisps the skin evenly.
- Adjust the cooking time on the duck breast for your preferred doneness—longer for medium well, shorter for medium rare.
- Kewpie mayo adds a creamy, slightly sweet umami flavor complementary to the hoisin sauce.
- You can steam bao buns using a bamboo steamer, metal steamer, or microwave-steaming method depending on your convenience.
- Add more or less chilli according to your spice preference.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Duck bao, steamed buns, Chinese five spice duck, hoisin sauce, Asian sandwiches, bao recipe, Kewpie mayo, crispy duck breast
