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Keralan duck curry

Keralan duck curry

  • Serves 6

  • Preparation time:

  • Cooking time:

Ingredients

6 duck breasts with skin and wing bone (see tip)
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
50 ml (11/2 fl oz) coconut oil
4 green cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 long green chillies, thinly sliced
diagonally
2 sprigs of curry leaves
12 french shallots (eschalots), chopped
5 cm (2 inch) piece of ginger, finely shredded
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) coconut milk
80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) coconut cream
appams or iddiappams, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3) and put a baking dish in the oven to heat up.
Score the duck skin a few times with a knife, then rub the skin and meat with the chilli powder, ginger and a little salt. Put in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil and cook the duck in two batches, skin side down, for about 3 minutes or until sealed. Turn over and seal the other side. This is just to seal the meat — do not overcook. Transfer the duck to the preheated baking dish and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the duck and set aside. Drain the excess fat from the baking dish but reserve the juices and set aside for adding to the sauce later.
Heat the remaining coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, green chilli and curry leaves and let these splutter for a few seconds. Reduce the heat to low, add the shallot and cook for 5 minutes or until softened but without browning.
Add the ginger, coconut milk, reserved duck juices and 125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) of water. Add the duck breasts and cook, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes or until the duck is almost cooked.
Add the coconut cream and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and thickly slice, then return to the sauce. Serve with appams or iddiappams.

Notes

If you can’t find duck breasts with the wing bone attached, simply use duck breasts. Roasting the duck slowly at a low heat will keep them juicy and tender.