Roasted Red Duck Curry

By: Katie

First, prepare the duck. The night before, or the morning you want to make the curry, rub the salt into the duck legs and place in the fridge for as long as possible. Two hours before you want to eat, pre-heat the oven to 190C. Rinse the duck and dry well on kitchen paper. Get an ovenproof frying pan very hot, then brown the duck on all sides – take your time over this, you want it to be quite crispy and release some of its fat. Put the duck in the pan, skin side up, in the oven, covered with foil. Then cook for an hour and 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 30 minutes, then leave to rest.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the shallots over a medium heat until golden. Add the garlic, lemongrass and lime leaves and sauté for another couple of minutes. Add the turmeric and curry paste, and cook for another couple of minutes until all is fragrant.
Add the stock and coconut milk, then cook gently for around 15 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the sugar and then the fish sauce (taste as you go – depending on the brand of chicken stock you use, it might be quite salty already) and lime juice. Taste and check for seasoning – you might want it a bit sweeter or saltier. Finally, add the herbs.
To serve, spoon the sauce over the duck legs. Serve with rice, lime to squeeze over, and – if you like – cubes of fresh pineapple stir-fried with some chopped garlic, chilli, ginger and greens