Thai Duck Curry

 

Thai Duck Curry

Grandson Jacob enjoys the outdoor sports.  He is an avid hunter and often his aim is waterfowl.  Along with outdoor sports he enjoys being in the kitchen and has become quite a cook.  This curry dish is one of his favorite ways to utilize the game he harvests.  

Ingredients:

2 pounds duck legs

1 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and grated 

2 tablespoons minced lemongrass, white bulb-like part, optional

1 tablespoon minced gulangal root  *optional

1/4 to 1/3 cup store bought green Thai curry paste

3 cups coconut milk 

1 yellow or white onion, sliced 

5 lemon or lime leaves, optional 

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 cup Basic Duck stock or chicken stock

5 small fresh Thai green eggplants, seeded and chopped or 1 cup green  

    bell pepper seeded and chopped

3 to 5 fresh green chilis such as Thai, Cayenne, or Serrano pepper, 

   sliced fine

1/4 cup fresh Thai basil torn into small pieces

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, or mint leaves, chopped

Freshly squeezed lime juice for seasoning

Cooked white rice for serving.

Directions:

If using domestic duck legs, trim away any excess fat.  Separate the legs and thighs with a cleaver or heavy kitchen scissors.  Pierce the skin all over with with a needle or sharp instrument at an angle not to pierce the meat only the skin.  If cooking wild ducks pierce the legs and thighs only if they are fatty.  Brown on skin side only not the meat

Arrange duck pieces skin side down in a large sauté pan with a medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes.  Let them render out some of the fat and brown.  Do not cook the meat side. 

Spoon out 2 tablespoons of the accumulated fat and put it in a Dutch oven, a wok, or other large heavy pot.  Place over high heat until the fat begins to smoke, then add the ginger, lemon grass, gulgangel and curry paste, and stir fry for 1 1/2 minutes.  Add 1 cup coconut milk and continue to stir until mixed well.  Bring to a boil for 5 minutes stirring often..

Mix in the pieces of duck, onion, citrus leaves and fish sauce, and 2 cups coconut milk and the stock.  Cover the pot and heat and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour.  Add the eggplants and simmer 20 minutes more, until the meat is falling off the bones.

Remove the bones from the stew and strip the meat from the bones.  Return the meat to the curry and cook for a few minutes more.  You can do this if you choose to remove bones from the curry.

Add the chiles, cilantro and basil, cook for 2 minutes more.  Taste and adjust flavor with fish sauce if needed.  Taste and season with lime juice.  Serve at once with rice.