Chef Ken Li · Tropika

Red Curry Duck

Serves 4

START THIS recipe in the morning of the day before you plan to serve it, as it involves marinating the duck overnight plus another 3½ hours of hanging and deep-frying. You can skip this step by buying a Chinese barbecued duck instead and steaming it according to the recipe, but make sure you ask for the duck to be cut in half only rather than chopped into many pieces as is usual. This thick, creamy and beautifully coloured Thai curry has a subtle sweetness and a yogurty flavour that goes perfectly with the fattier, denser meat of the duck. Serve this dish with steamed jasmine rice or with the unleavened flatbread known as roti. You can find light-brown cane sugar sticks for this recipe in small boxes at Asian markets.

1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 whole duck, 3 to 3½ lbs, skin on

10 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying

1 Tbsp chopped Thai red chili pepper

5 garlic cloves, smashed

4 shallots, halved

3 green onions, chopped

2 oz galangal, sliced

1 tsp ground coriander

2 Tbsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp canola oil

4 bay leaves

½ stick cane sugar

2 tomatoes, in wedges

1 cup coconut milk

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

IN A SMALL bowl, combine dark and light soy sauces. Place duck in a non-reactive bowl. Using a pastry brush, evenly brush duck with soy sauces inside and out, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cut a 2-foot piece of kitchen twine and place it on a clean work surface. Set the duck on top of it, drawing up the ends of the twine either side of the mid-section, then cross the twine as if you were tying a parcel, loop it around the wings and tie it securely so that the duck cannot fall out of its “harness.” Form a loop at the end of the string and hang the duck, indoors, from a cabinet handle for at least 4 hours to dry out the meat. Set a dish below the duck to catch any drippings.

Line a large plate with paper towels. In a large 12-inch wok or a deep fryer, heat vegetable oil t0 350°F. Add duck and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until skin is golden brown. Transfer duck to the paper towel–lined plate and allow to drain and dry for 30 minutes. Using a meat cleaver, cut duck in half lengthwise.

To steam the duck (whether marinated overnight or store bought), fill a large wok or a saucepan with a steamer insert with water and bring to a boil on high heat. Arrange duck halves in a bamboo steamer or in the steamer insert, cover and place in the wok or saucepan. Steam for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Chop duck into large bite-size pieces.

In a food processor, combine chili peppers, garlic, shallots, green onions, galangal, coriander, tomato paste and fish sauce and blend until the mixture forms a paste.

In a wok, heat canola oil on high, then reduce the heat to low. Add curry paste, bay leaves and duck and stir to mix well. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in sugar stick, tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Red Curry Duck