Warm Thai duck salad

SERVES 2 PREP AND COOK TIME 30 MINUTES

2 x 180g duck breast fillets, skin on 1 small (100g) red onion, sliced thinly 2 cups finely shredded wombok (Chinese cabbage) 1 medium (120g) zucchini, cut into matchsticks ¼ cup (60ml) white vinegar 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 fresh bird’s-eye chilli, sliced 1 clove garlic, sliced thinly ½ green butter lettuce 1 small (120g) carrot, cut into matchsticks ¼ cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves ¼ cup (35g) salted roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely

1 Using a sharp knife, score the skin across the width of the duck breasts. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a cool, non-stick frying pan (with no oil). Put onto the stove over a medium heat. After a minute or so, the fat will start to render out of the skin. Leave duck alone for around 10 minutes, checking it regularly. If skin is getting dark too quickly, turn the heat down lower. Be patient, this part of the process is really important so you end up with crisp skin but also that the thick layer of fat under the skin renders out. 2 After 10 minutes, the skin should be dark, golden and crisp. Remove breasts from the pan and tip all but a splash of the fat into a heatproof container to save for another recipe. Place the fillets, skin-side up, back in the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. There should be a little colour on the bottom but not much. Remove the fillets to a board to rest, uncovered, while you make the rest of the salad. 3 In the same pan, cook onion, wombok and zucchini until just softened. Transfer to a bowl. Place vinegar and sugar in the pan; bring to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; add the fish sauce, chilli and garlic. 4 To assemble the salad, arrange butter lettuce onto a platter. Place vegetable mixture on top. Slice duck 5mm thick; place on top of the vegetables. Pour the dressing generously over salad. Garnish with carrot, coriander and peanuts.