I know, I know – duck curry is an extravagant dish to be posting in the middle of a global crisis, but in this set of recipes I'm aiming to use things that you can easily procure at the supermarket. As I said in my last blog post, I have had difficulty getting the basics, but more expensive, luxury items are fully stocked.
Coconut milk, like most tinned goods, have often run out at the big supermarkets, but try your local ethnic corner store. We have a Pakistani one near us, which is fully stocked with all sorts of spices, curry pastes and plenty of coconut milk.
I'm also trying to use up odds and ends that you might have in your cupboards. This is my excuse for using store bought red curry paste – I’ve had half a jar of it in the back of the pantry for some time. Since it is old, it has probably lost a bit of flavour, so I added some fresh garlic, ginger and lemongrass to my curry to revitalise it. I’ve marked these as optional in the recipe, since you don’t need them if you have fresh curry paste.
If you want to make your own red curry paste, then I highly recommend David Thompson’s recipe, though some of the ingredients will only be available in a Thai supermarket. If that is difficult, then this recipe by Nagi on Recipe Tin Eats is a great alternative. It is based on Thompson’s recipe, but with a slightly simplified ingredients list, most of which you should be able to get easily. The only thing I haven't often seen in the shops here is galangal, but you can substitute fresh ginger.
I used a duck crown for this curry, as that was all I could get, but you could swap for two large duck breasts and follow these helpful instructions for the cooking. Duck legs would also work beautifully, and I love the way they suggest cooking and serving them in this recipe.
I may have mentioned before that the M&2V has a number of food rules that he lives by. The first of these is KFOOMF! This translates as Keep Fruit Out Of My Food! It is one I have sympathy with. When I lived in New Zealand I found their predilection for putting fruit in all sorts of unlikely dishes abhorrent. Apricot chicken is a big favourite there – and not in the Moroccan tagine style, which I find acceptable. I'm talking chicken dominated by apricot jam-like sweetness in a sandwich, in a pasty or, wait for it, on pizza. It is so popular that Pizza Hut and Dominos do it, with an apricot sauce base and chicken pieces. Yuk.
The M&2V won't eat fruit in any savoury dishes. On the other hand, I have a number of exceptions and one of those is fresh pineapple in Thai red curry. It is traditional and it makes sense. Thai food is always sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Pineapple brings the sweet. It must be fresh not tinned, mind, as the slight tartness of a just ripe pineapple is important, along with the sweet. Lychees are also a nice option, if you can find them.
The M&2V also dislikes certain textures – aubergines (slimy) and courgettes (mushy), both of which happen to be my favourite thing to put in Thai curries, exactly because of their texture. I like that they soften and soak up all the delicious flavours. Well luckily curry is versatile and you can really use whatever vegetables you like. I made the M&2Vs portion with potatoes and mange tout. You can make yours with whatever you have in the fridge. That is the point of this recipe after all.
Serves 2 greedy people or 3 skinny people as a main course with a side of rice.
Ingredients
1 duck crown
1 tbsp vegetable oil
50g red curry paste, or to taste
1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated (optional)
3 cloves garlic (optional)
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
1 stalk lemongrass, tender base sliced into rounds (optional)
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp tamarind puree or squeeze of lime juice (optional)
1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
2 baby aubergines, sliced into rounds
1 courgette, sliced into rounds
200ml chicken or duck stock, approx
100g fresh pineapple, core removed and cut into small chunks
To serve
Handful mange tout
Small bunch coriander
Steamed white rice
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Season the skin of the duck with salt and roast for approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size. If you have a meat thermometer, then cook to 52C for medium rare. Ensure you leave time to rest the meat for 10 minutes before serving.
While the duck is roasting, cook the curry sauce and vegetables. For the curry sauce, heat the oil in a large wok or saucepan over a low heat*. Fry the curry paste for a few minutes, along with the ginger and garlic, if using. Stir in the coconut milk, add the lemongrass, if using, and the kaffir lime leaves, then leave to simmer gently for a few minutes.
Taste the sauce – if it is too salty, add a tsp of tamarind puree or a squeeze of lime juice; if t isn’t salty enough, add some fish sauce. You can repeat this later in the cooking process too, if it is not quite right.
Approximately 20 mins before the duck will be ready and rested, add the aubergine and courgettes to the curry sauce and simmer gently until the vegetables are soft, but still holding their shape. Add chicken or duck stock if more liquid is required to coat the vegetables generously.
Debone and slice the duck breasts and add to the sauce, along with the pineapple, a few minutes before you are ready to serve.
To serve
Slice the mange tout into thin strips, blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and refresh under a cold tap. Use as a garnish.
Pull the leaves off the coriander stalks and use as a garnish.
Serve the curry with steamed white rice.
*It is traditional to do this over a high heat, but I find that shop bought pastes become grainy and spicy to the point of cough inducing.