Curried Duck Food

BRAISED DUCK WITH RED CURRY

Steps:

• Bone ducks and remove the skin. (You can ask a butcher to do this, reserving the carcass for stock making and skin for rendering.) Cut breasts in half, then into about 3 pieces across the width. Chop legs and thighs into about 4 pieces each. (Remember: You want to start with generous pieces of meat, since they will shrink when cooked. Don't worry about cleaning the tendons, since they will soften with long cooking.) Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.
• Heat rendered fat in a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven over high heat. Brown duck on all sides, then transfer meat to a platter. Reduce heat to medium low and cook shallots until well browned, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, increase heat to medium high and cook about a minute, then add curry paste. Cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Return duck meat to pot along with brown duck stock and cook at a slow simmer, uncovered, until meat is tender, about 40 minutes.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a platter and reserve in a warm place. Puree sauce in a blender and strain back into pot. Cook over high heat until liquid is reduced by one third. Stir in fish sauce, coconut milk, sugar, and lime juice, and remove from heat. Stir duck back into warm sauce. Ladle stew over Jasmine Rice. Garnish with remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

CURRIED DUCK

Steps:

• To make the broth, heat a nonstick pot. Add the duck trimmings, neck and heart and stir to brown for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, lemongrass and bay or lemon leaf and 6 cups water and simmer for 2 hours, adding more cold water as needed to barely cover the trimmings. Strain, cool, remove fat and refrigerate.
• To make the curry, place the onions, shallots, garlic, ginger and saffron in a food processor and pulverize to a fine paste. Set aside.
• Mix together 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of curry powder and dust each side of the duck meat. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole over high heat. When nearly smoking, add the duck legs and thighs, reduce heat to medium high and cook, turning to brown on all sides. Remove. Add the duck breasts, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot. Add the pureed vegetables and cook over medium-low heat, stirring as necessary to avoid burning, for about 5 minutes. Add the apple, the banana, the anise and the lemongrass and cook until the mixture is relatively dry, about 7 minutes. Add the duck and more curry (if desired), the brandy, the wine and the tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add duck stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken broth.
• When the mixture is once again simmering, add the okra, zucchini and scallions and allow to simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the zucchini and the scallions and keep in a warm place. Allow the duck to cook about 20 more minutes, remove and place on a warm platter with the zucchini and scallions.
• Return the sauce with the okra to the burner. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper or curry powder. Simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully lift 2 tablespoons of the thick part of the coconut milk from the top of the can. Whisk this into the sauce and remove from heat immediately. Ladle the sauce over the duck and vegetables. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

TENDER DUCK & PINEAPPLE RED CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Dry-fry the duck legs in an ovenproof frying pan or casserole dish on a low heat for a good 10-15 mins, turning once, until coloured all over. Remove from the pan. Add the sugar to the fat in the pan and cook until caramelised, then add the curry paste and cook for few mins until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk and half a can of water. Simmer and stir until everything is combined, then add the fish sauce and lime leaves.
• Slip in the duck legs, cover the pan and cook in the oven for 1½ hrs until the duck is really tender. Lift the duck legs into a serving dish and remove fat from the sauce, if you like. The curry can be prepared to this stage up to 2 days ahead and left in the fridge, in which case it will be easier to remove the fat.
• Place the pan back on the heat, add the pineapple and simmer for 2 mins. Adjust the seasoning, adding more fish sauce for salt, and more sugar for sweetness. At the last moment, stir through half the chilli and half the Thai basil leaves, if using, pour over the duck, then scatter with the rest of the chilli and basil. Serve with jasmine rice

ONE-PAN FRAGRANT DUCK & VEGETABLE CURRY

Steps:

• Heat a wok or frying pan over a low heat and lay the duck breasts in the pan skin-side down. Reduce the heat to low and sizzle gently for 10-15 mins until the skin is golden and the fat has rendered into the pan. Remove the breasts to a plate and leave to cool.
• With the pan still on a low heat, scatter the sugar over the leftover duck fat and stir in the curry paste and fish sauce. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 mins until fragrant, then add the aubergine and potatoes, and stir to coat. Let the veg absorb some of the paste for a few minutes, then pour over the coconut milk and half a can of water, add the lime leaves (if using) and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, finely slice the duck breasts. Stir the meat and resting juices into the curry and simmer for 40 mins, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just cooked and the duck is tender. Stir in the green beans and simmer for 10 mins more until the beans are cooked. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lime juice, taste and add more lime, sugar or fish sauce if needed. Scatter over the chillies, coriander and peanuts. Serve with cooked rice.