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.

Thai-Style Crab Mushroom Pumpkin Curry

Thai-Style Crab Mushroom And Pumpkin Curry

Adding fresh Thai herbs to commercial curry paste and canned coconut milk really lifts this dish to another level, while the inclusion of sweet pumpkin and earthy mushrooms makes this dish rich and satisfying enough for the darkest winter evening.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut or coconut oil
2–3 tablespoons red curry paste (about half a small jar)
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 stalk lemongrass (cut into 3 x 2 inch pieces and bruised with the flat of a knife)
2 cups pumpkin or winter squash, cut into 1-inch dice (kabocha squash works very well and does not need to be peeled, just cut out any blemishes)
10 Thai basil leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or palm sugar if you can get it)
3 lime leaves, shredded
2–4 heads bok choy or 2–4 cups spinach
6 ounces fresh white crab meat (or canned crab, cooked shrimp, or cooked salmon)
cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish
lime wedges to serve

Directions:
Heat the oil and red curry paste in a large pot or wok over a medium-high heat, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 3 tablespoons coconut milk and cook for 30 seconds. 

Add the mushrooms and stir until cooked through, about 5 minutes. 

Add the water, fish sauce and lemongrass, and stir in the diced squash or pumpkin and simmer 8–10 minutes over a medium heat, or until the pumpkin is cooked through and tender to the fork.

Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and return to a simmer. 

Stir in the basil, sugar, lime leaves, and green vegetables, and cook for another minute or two until the greens have wilted. 

Stir in the crab and simmer for another 30 seconds to warm through.

Remove the lemongrass pieces and serve the curry sprinkled with cilantro and accompanied by lime wedges. This curry is perfect ladled over fragrant jasmine rice.    Serves: 4–6 | Prep time: 20 minutes

Thai Larb Salad

Thai Larb Salad

A fresh and flavorful recipe for Thai Larb Salad using your choice of ground chicken, turkey, beef or lamb! Serve this with lettuce wraps or rice, or both!  Served 3/20/22.  Excellent Flavor!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot water

2 tablespoons vinegar- white or rice wine
1 red onion (divided, see instructions)
——-
3 garlic cloves, rough chopped
4 tablespoons lemongrass, finely minced
1 teaspoon chili flakes, more to taste
16 ounces ground chicken, turkey, beef, lamb,
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
—–
2 cups cucumber, sliced or diced
2–3 radishes, sliced (or watermelon radish)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh chili, finely minced (optional, or sub jalapeno, Thai red chili)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped basil (Thai basil elevates)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4–5 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon brown sugar, maple, or honey
finely chopped fresh chili- optional!
Serve with lettuce wraps or jasmine rice or both!
  
Directions:
Dice half the onion (you’ll need 1 cup diced) and thinly slice 1/4 of the onion ( 1/4- 1/2 cup).

Place the sliced onions in a bowl, cover with 1/2 cup hot boiling water and 2 tablespoons vinegar, place in the fridge.

Cook the meat: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup diced red onion, saute 3-4 minutes, add garlic, lemongrass and chili flakes. Saute until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. 

Add the ground meat, breaking it apart with a metal spatula. Season the meat with the salt and pepper and continue cooking until all the liquid releases and evaporates about 10 minutes. Drain the fat from the meat, using a fine-mesh strainer.

While the ground meat is cooking, prep the remaining ingredients. Place the cucumber, radish, scallions, mint, basil, cilantro, fresh chili (optional) in a bowl. 

Add the drained meat and the strained pickled onions. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.  Taste, adjust salt, lime and heat. I’ll usually add more chili flakes. or finely diced fresh chilies.

Serve with lettuce wraps and/or cooked rice. Serve warm or chilled. ( If chilling, make doubly sure to strain all the fat from the meat -it will harden in the fridge.)

Note: Larb will keep up to 3 days in the fridge.

Salmon Baked With Herbs and Caramelized Lemons

Salmon Baked With Herbs And Caramelized Lemons 

Ingredients:
1 5⁄8 kg or 3 lb. salmon, scaled, gutted and washed (1 whole salmon)
olive oil, and drizzling (for cooking)
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
3 sprigs basil
3 sprigs sage
3 sprigs parsley
1 head garlic, halved horizontally, then broken into cloves (unpeeled)
2 -3 stalks lemongrass, split in half lenghtways and bruised with the back of a knife 
3 small lemons, thickly sliced 
5 -6 star anise
1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns (or black)

Directions

Trim a little of the tail and fins of the salmon with kitchen scissors and pat dry with kitchen paper. Pat the cavity dry as well. Score the skins of the salmon on both sides with a sharp knife at 1 - 2 intervals. Rub all over with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Tear two sheets of foil, large enough to envelope the salmon easily. Lay one on top of the other on the work surface and scatter the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic and lemongrass over the middle o the foil. Lay the fish on the bed of herbs and tuck some of the flavourings into the cavity.

Fry the lemon slices in a little olive oil for 2 - 3 minutes until caramelized around the edges, seasoning them with salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly. Tuck the caramelized lemon slices around the fish, placing some in the cavity and some on top. Scatter the star anise and peppercorns over and around the fish, putting some inside the cavity. Drizzle the salmon with a little olive oil. Heat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade or 375 Fahrenheit.

Fold the edges of the foil tightly together over the salmon to seal, leaving some space in the parcel for steam to surround and cook the fish. Put the salmon parcel in the roasting tin and cook in the centre of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Remove from the oven and without unwrapping the foil parcel, rest the fish for 5 - 10 minutes.

Unwrap the salmon and peel off the skin with a palette knife. Use the back of a spoon to slide the fish off the bone. Serve individual portions garnished with the caramelized lemons. Serves 4.