Duck and Vanilla Curry
A delicious, slightly spicy duck curry with an unexpected ingredient
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out and reserved, bean cut into pieces about 1 cm long
- 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 duck breasts
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 medium onion, chopped (4 cups)
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 cup)
- 1 sweet potato peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
- 2 to 3 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 whole clove
- To garnish (optional)
- Chopped peanuts
- Chopped coriander
Instructions
- Combine the vanilla seeds, curry powder and salt in a small bowl.
- Score the duck breasts on the skin side (ie run the knife over the duck skin to create a cross hatch pattern. Do not go through the skin to the actual meat.
- Rub the spice mixture on the duck breasts both skin and meat side.
- Lay the duck breasts, skin side down, in a dry heavy-based large frying pan and gradually turn up the heat. Fry for five to 10 minutes, until most of the fat has rendered and the skin is golden brown.
- Turn the duck breasts over and lightly brown the other side for a couple of minutes, or until they feel slightly springy when pressed.
- Remove the duck from the pan.
- Add the butter and allow it to melt.
- Add the onion; cook for 5 minutes, until it has softened, then add the garlic and ginger. Add the tomato, sweet potato, sun-dried tomatoes and the clove; cook uncovered until sweet potato is just tender then add the duck back to the pan and allow to warm through.
- Discard the clove and the pieces of vanilla bean before serving.
- Garnish with chopped peanuts and coriander.