Gordon Ramsay's Thai red curry with duck and lychees recipe
The combination of duck and lychees in this dish marries perfectly with the spicy coconut sauce. I ate a modern interpretation of this dish in Chang Mai, which was served with rambutans - a close relation of the lychee. Here I have suggested serving one duck breast per person, to make it a more elegant dish.
Ingredients
for the curry paste- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns,
- 10 dried Kashmiri chillies, soaked and
- 5 dried red chillies, soaked and drained
- 1 red long finger chilli, deseeded
- 2 cm knob of galangal (or root ginger), peeled and chopped
- 3 kaffir limes leaves
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 5 shallots, peeled and copped
- 2 tbsp coriander stalks, chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and chopped
- 1 tbsp shrimp paste
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 4 x 175g duck breasts, skin on
- 1 pinch each of sea salt and ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp groundnut oil
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 150 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
- 300 g bamboo shoots, sliced lengthways
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 200 g fresh lychees, peeled, stoned and quartered
- 1 handful of coriander leaves
- 2 limes, halved
- 2 spring onions, thiny sliced
Details
- Cuisine: Thai
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- To prepare the curry paste; Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan, tossing them over a high heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Put the spices, with the remaining curry paste ingredients, into a blender or pestle and mortar and blend or pulse until smooth.
- Next prepare the duck for the curry; score the skin of the duck breasts in a crisscross pattern with a very sharp knife. Season generously with salt and pepper and rub into the skin thoroughly.
- Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a dry, hot frying pan. Immediately turn down the heat and cook over a very low heat to render down the fat. This may take 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fat. Turn up the heat and fry until the skin is crisp. Turn the duck breasts over and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes.
- Just before the duck is ready, drizzle over the honey and soy sauce. Toss and turn the duck in the honey and soy and cook until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy glaze. Transfer the duck to a warm plate and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Place a wok or large saucepan over a high heat and add 3 tablespoons of groundnut oil. Add 4-6 tablespoons of the curry paste and fry for 1-2 minutes until the paste deepens in colour and smells fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock and stir well. Add the fish sauce and sugar and bring to a gentle simmer. Add in the remaining ingredients and allow the vegetables to cook through for 5 minutes. Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning if necessary with more fish sauce or palm sugar.
- Slice the duck breasts and set aside. Divide the curry among four warmed bowls and carefully place a sliced duck breast into each. Drizzle the glaze over the top. Garnish with the coriander, lime halves and spring onions. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Recipe taken from Gordon’s Great Escape South East Asia, published by HarperCollins
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