Asian duck for dummies

Asian Duck

People are a bit scared of cooking duck at home, but there are two key tips to getting it right. One, make sure the duck is at room temperature before you start to cook. This way, the meat is relaxed and you don’t get that toughness of tense meat hitting the heat. Two, get your pan as hot as possible. You want the skin to go crisp and brown as quickly as possible. Crispy skin is vital; it’s gross when it’s white and flabby. Everyone is scared of the duck fat. With this recipe, a lot of the fat will be released into the pan when you’re searing the duck. So you then pour it off — don’t throw it away; you’d pay good money for duck fat, and it’s fantastic for roast potatoes. This dish is delicious served with a green salad to cut through the richness, or the nuttiness of basmati rice works too. If you’re feeling indulgent, try it with Dauphinoise potatoes, or even roast potatoes, made with the duck fat. Leftover meat makes for lovely Asian roast-duck wraps with scallions, segments of blood orange and hoisin sauce. Try to buy your hoisin sauce from an Asian supermarket, as the taste differs significantly. Serves 4.

You will need:

1 full duck — cut into 6 pieces

2 large cloves of garlic, crushed

50g (1¾oz) peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1L (1¾pt) freshly squeezed orange juice 4 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

5 pieces of star anise

4 red chillis

2 stalks of lemongrass, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

8 spring onions, white part only, chopped

½ teaspoon cornflour

1 tablespoon water

Method:

Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the duck pieces, skin-side down, and cook them for 5-6 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn over the pieces and cook them for a further 2 minutes, or until they are lightly browned. Set them aside on a plate. Pour off almost all of the duck fat (reserve it for other uses), leaving about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan. Put the pan over a low heat, then add the crushed garlic and the thinly sliced ginger, and cook them gently until they are lightly golden. Then add the freshly squeezed orange juice to the pan, along with the fish sauce, the granulated sugar, the star anise, the chillis and the finely chopped lemongrass. Season with the freshly ground black pepper. Return the duck pieces to the pan, increase the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for 1½ hours, turning occasionally. Take half of the chopped spring onions, add them to the duck, and cook it for a further 30 minutes, or until duck is meltingly tender. Transfer the duck pieces to a plate and keep them warm. Skim any excess fat from the top of the remaining liquid in the pan and simmer it over a medium-high heat or until it reaches your preferred consistency. In a cup, mix the cornflour with the tablespoon of water; stir the liquid into the sauce in the pan and simmer it for a further minute. Pour the sauce over the duck, and scatter the dish with the remaining chopped spring onions.

Sara Mitchell is co-owner of Poulet Bonne Femme, Ireland’s first free-range rotisserie with five locations around Dublin. See pouletbonnefemme.com In conversation with Sarah Caden