Chef's Recipes

Rajasthani duck

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Rajasthani duck by Tonka recipe in Melbourne.

  • 1 hr preparation
  • 1 hr 30 mins cooking plus marinating
  • Serves 8
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Rajasthani duck
"At Tonka, this dish is served topped with Shaw River buffalo curd. If you can't get buffalo curd, use yoghurt instead - the tang of either is a contrast to the richness of the curry sauce," says D'Sylva.

Ingredients

  • 700 ml Healthy Boy soy bean sauce (see note)
  • 220 gm caster sugar (1 cup)
  • 1 tsp crushed white peppercorns
  • 8 duck Marylands (about 200gm each)
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 long red chilli, halved lengthways
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
  • 30 gm dried Kashmiri chillies (see note) (1 cup)
  • 60 gm garlic cloves (about 20), coarsely chopped
  • 70 gm finely grated ginger (1/3 cup)
  • 50 ml each mustard oil and olive oil
  • 1 kg Spanish onion (about 6), thinly sliced
  • 10 cloves
  • 4 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon quill
  • 200 gm Indian-style yoghurt (see note)
  • 100 ml well-shaken buttermilk
  • To serve: buffalo curd or yoghurt
  • To serve: thinly sliced cucumber, coriander sprigs, mint sprigs and watercress sprigs
  • To serve: roti

Method

Main
  • 1
    Combine soy bean sauce, sugar and crushed white peppercorns in a non-reactive container, add duck and coat well. Cover and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
  • 2
    Preheat oven to 150C. Pour coconut milk into a roasting pan large enough to hold duck in a single layer, add lime leaves, chilli and lemongrass. Remove duck from marinade (discard marinade) and place skin-side up in coconut mixture. Roast until browned and flesh pulls back from the leg bone (1½ hours).
  • 3
    Meanwhile, soak dried chillies in a bowl of cold water until softened (40-50 minutes), drain and process in a food processor to a smooth paste (and a little water if necessary), set aside.
  • 4
    Process garlic and ginger in a food processor to a smooth paste (adding a little water if necessary), then set aside.
  • 5
    Heat oils in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and spices, and stir often until onion is very tender (8-10 minutes). Add ginger-garlic paste and cook until fragrant (3-4 minutes), stirring often to prevent paste sticking to base of pan. Add reserved dried chilli paste, stir occasionally for 5 minutes, then transfer to a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Add yoghurt and buttermilk, season to taste and process to combine, then return to saucepan and keep warm. Serve duck with hot sauce spooned over, top with a dollop of curd or yoghurt and serve with cucumber, coriander, mint and watercress alongside.

Notes

Note Healthy Boy soy bean sauce is available from select Asian grocers. Dried Kashmiri chillies are available from Indian grocers. Indian-style yoghurt is slightly sweeter than regular yoghurt and is available from Indian grocers; or substitute plain yoghurt.
Drink Suggestion: Francois Chidaine ‘Les Agiles’ Vouvray Chenin Blanc 2011 Loire Valley, or Poggio Al Sole Chianti Classico Sangiovese 2010 Tuscany. Drink suggestion by Travis Howe