Fusion Duck Curry with Crackling

Duck is a popular item in Asian Cuisine. Peking Duck and Noodles with Roasted Duck are just two examples. The Indians and the Thais also use it for curries that have a well deserved reputation for great taste.

One thing in common with duck curries is the fact that the skin is often removed and discarded because it has too much fat, unlike the Chinese style roasting which renders the fat and leaves the skin crispy, or at least not as fatty.

Crackling is common in American and European cuisine. Just like pork crackling, duck skin renders well, shedding the fat that most find excessive in a curry. Taking this technique and using it in an Indian Duck Curry simply adds an interesting dimension to the dish.

Besides, why waste the skin, when you can have a delicious garnish for the finished dish – assuming there is enough left over by the time you stop nibbling as you cook.

Duck Breast

You can certainly cook duck curry with a whole duck, cut into eight or more pieces.

I prefer to use duck breast in this curry for a few reasons. You will find that most of the fat is in the skin, and not in the meat, so you do not get too fatty a duck curry.

Duck breast is easy to cut into small even-sized cubes. Cutting into small cubes is an important part of cooking many Indian curry dishes, as this allows maximum penetration of the flavours.

Some people dislike the smell and taste of duck, and this is strongest in the parts other than the breast.

Does Duck Smell?

Well, any food is going to have an aroma and a flavour. If you happen to dislike the aroma of duck, you will say it smells. I knew a person once who could not stand the smell of chicken.

Having said that, you will find in Asian cuisine that ginger is often used to mask aromas that may be unpleasant to some; ginger is used when steaming fish in Chinese recipes, to mask any ‘fishy’ smell. It is used in oxtail soup recipes, as some dislike the strong ‘beefy’ smell you otherwise get in the soup. So too in this duck curry recipe.

In Indian cuisine, cardamom has the right spice notes to go with duck, so between the cardamom and the ginger, most people should be able to appreciate this duck curry.

Crackling

When you want to render the fat, use low to very low heat, as this is how you will get the most fat out from the skin. High heat will seal the outside and trap the fat inside the skin. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to the point where the skin is a crispy golden brown.

Drain the crackling on kitchen paper so that it is not soaking in oil and losing its crispiness.

If you have a lot of fat leftover after you retain the 1 or 2 tablespoons you need to finish cooking this duck curry, by all means reserve it for other dishes.

Cooking and Serving

This is a simple, uncomplicated duck curry dish, so really there is not much else to say about the cooking and serving that has not already been said in the recipe.

It will go well with a rice pilaf, or just saffron rice.

 

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