The hosts at Chows believe in an ambiance and dining experience that makes you feel like nothing short of royalty; and they start your monarchical meal with classic Chinese dishes.
Their chefs specialise in the centuries old Peking duck. The dish is considered one of China’s national dishes and there is even a museum about it in Beijing. Peking duck goes back to the 400s, when it was served only to the royalty of the Yuan dynasty. It was originally known as “Shaoyazi” which translates to burning duck.
By the 15
th century, Peking duck had become a well-known delight that was served across restaurants in Beijing. The classic restaurants Quanjude and Bianyfiang were the first to serve Peking duck. Both restaurants stand today; Quanjude uses the more popularised hung oven method, Gualu, while Bianyfiang still implements the traditional closed oven technique, Menlu.
The chef’s touch
Peking duck is a process that takes days to prepare and years to perfect. The culinary masters at Chows have perfected these methods to bring the bounty of Beijing to your plate in Banani.
Starting with the skin
They start by incorporating air into the skin of the finest quality duck meat. When you incorporate air into the cavity of the duck, it separates the flesh and the skin, which becomes taut. This separation allows the fat to melt during roasting and creates a very crispy skin. This is how we create the crackle and crunch of the deep brown skin that leads to the tender meat inside.
Creating the coat
Introducing flavour to the duck involves a series of meticulous coatings and an age-old drying technique. The duck is initially coated with the chef’s maltose and soy syrup, which introduce sweet and sour elements. It is also coated with a dry rub of his secret spice mixture. The duck is then hung overnight in a temperature-controlled space to dry.
Bringing it to a boil
The duck is blanched in boiling water after being hung for a day. This step tightens the skin and starts the fat rendering process. It is then coated again with the syrup mixture and spice. And then the duck is hung for yet another day to render the spices into the meat and skin and infuse the elements in a manner that only drying can.
Ready to Roast
Two days of coating and hanging infuse the golden brown colour and smoky sweet flavour into the duck. It is then roasted in their fire oven to bring out the flavours. Watching the duck roast is a sight for sore eyes as the fat renders out of the duck and the skin crackles to a crisp. This flavour-loaded fat is used to baste the duck once it is out of the oven to keep it moist.
Chows' steaming crisp duck is ready and roasted upon your request so you can enjoy the moist steaming meat and the crackling sweet sticky skin.
Bring your dynasty to Chows and enjoy a traditional duck that was made for the kings.
You can check out the rest of Chows' delectable menu at http://www.chowsbd.com/
