Thoroughly rinse the duck inside and out, then place it in a basin. Boil a large pot of water and pour the hot water over the entire duck, ensuring both sides are covered. Repeat this process three times.
Find a wine bottle or a similar-sized container, fill it with water, and stand the duck upright on the bottle. Use a chopstick to prop up the duck wings. Place the duck in a cool, well-ventilated area to air-dry for at least 5 hours, until the skin is dry, tight, and glossy.
Mix honey, cooking wine, white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water to create a crispy skin glaze. Evenly brush the glaze over the duck’s skin and return it to the ventilated area to dry. Repeat this process twice, allowing the skin to dry completely after each application.
While the duck skin is drying for the final time, preheat the oven to 200°C. Remove the dried duck from the bottle, cut apples into pieces, and stuff them into the duck cavity. Soak bread or steamed buns in water and also place them inside the cavity; secure the opening with toothpicks if needed.
Wrap the duck leg ends and wing tips in foil, and line the baking tray with foil as well, adding a small amount of water to the tray. Place the prepared duck on a roasting rack, breast-side up, and put it into the 200°C oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 170°C and roast for 40 minutes.
Turn the duck over and roast for another 20 minutes. Finally, flip it breast-side up again and check the coloring. If the color is satisfactory, continue roasting at 170°C for 20 minutes. If not, increase the temperature to 200°C.
Slice the roasted duck and serve with cucumber strips, scallion shreds, lotus leaf pancakes, and sweet bean sauce.
Combine flour and salt, then gradually pour in 150ml of hot water at around 80°C while stirring with chopsticks to form a crumbly mixture. Once cooled, knead into a smooth dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough into a long strip and cut it into 32 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball and flatten it. Brush oil on one side of two pieces and press them together with the oiled sides facing.
Flatten the stacked pieces and roll them out into a round wrapper with a rolling pin, similar to the thickness of dumpling skins. Heat a flat pan over medium heat without adding oil. Cook each wrapper for 8-10 seconds per side, until it turns white and bubbles up.
After all wrappers are cooked, separate each one into two layers while still hot. Once all are separated, they become lotus leaf pancakes. Serve immediately or reheat by steaming for 2-3 minutes before eating.