Duck breast with Chinese five-spice plum sauce and carrot and cabbage stir-fry

This plum sauce and stir-fry is also particularly good with slow-roasted pork belly, see Rachel Recommends, far left. Serves 4

For the plum sauce, you will need:

400g plums, stoned and quartered

2 shallots, peeled and sliced

50g brown sugar

25ml red-wine vinegar

200ml red wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

You will need:

4 duck breasts

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the carrot and cabbage stir-fry, you will need:

25ml olive oil

4 carrots, peeled and finely sliced on an angle

1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced on an

angle

¼ of a green cabbage, such as Savoy, core removed and finely shredded

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 heaped teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2-4 tablespoons soy sauce

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

1 First, make the plum sauce. Put the plum quarters and the sliced shallots in a saucepan, and add the brown sugar, the red-wine vinegar, the red wine, the soy sauce, the grated fresh ginger and the Chinese five-spice powder. Place the pot on a medium heat and bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes until the plums are very soft. Remove the pot from the heat and liquidise the sauce in a blender until it is smooth. Season to taste with more Chinese five-spice or soy sauce, if necessary.

2 Next, score the duck breasts. Use a sharp knife to cut a grid pattern in the fat, but be careful not to cut through the meat. Season the duck with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the breasts, skin-side down, into a frying pan that has not been preheated. Place the frying pan on a low heat for about 10-15 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the fat has rendered (melted). As the fat renders, pour it out into a bowl or jar (where it’ll keep, covered, in the fridge for about a year) reserving it to use another day for roast potatoes. Flip the duck breasts over, turn up the heat and cook them for a further 3-4 minutes until they are cooked how you like them. Take the pan off the heat and transfer the duck to a plate. Allow it to rest somewhere warm while you cook the carrot and cabbage stir-fry.

3 Place a wok on a high heat for about five minutes until it is smoking hot. Add the olive oil, and then add the sliced carrots. Stir and cook for two minutes, then add the sliced spring onions, the finely shredded cabbage, the crushed garlic, the freshly grated ginger, the soy sauce, and some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for just a couple of minutes until the vegetables are starting to cook, but still have a bite, then add in the chopped fresh coriander. Tip everything out of the wok and into a serving dish, adding more soy sauce to taste if necessary.

4 Slice the rested duck breasts into long thin slices and serve them sitting over the carrot and cabbage stir-fry with a good drizzle of plum sauce.