Panfried Duck Breast with Balinese Spices
A duck breast makes a luxurious dinner treat for two, especially when paired with a rich blend of spices.
Connie ClarksonFounder and project manager at The Kitchen Project
- prepare
- cook
- 2 servings
- Moderate
Caption:Panfried Duck Breast with Balinese Spices.Photo credit:Connie Clarkson
Here's a fun fact: Duck is the only poultry that can be served pink.
Duck is more like a red meat because it's rich in myoglobin (a protein that stores oxygen in muscle cells), which keeps it red/pink when cooked. Like red meat, overcooking makes it tough.
This recipe includes instructions and ingredients for making a spice paste. This makes approximately 1 1/2 cups of spice paste, which can be frozen for next time, or used to flavour stir fries, fried rice or marinate other meat for roasting or barbecues.
Ingredients
- For the spice paste:
- 350g shallots, peeled
- 100g garlic, cloves peeled
- 20g galangal, peeled and chopped
- 10 candlenuts
- 40g fresh tumeric, peeled and chopped
- 50g palm sugar, chopped
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 stalks lemon grass, bruised
- 2 bay leaves
- 15g chillies, finely chopped
- For the duck marinade:
- 1 tsp fried shallots
- 1 tsp fried garlic
- 1/3 cup coconut milk (light) plus another 1/3 cup for the sauce
- 3 Tbsp spice paste (see below for details)
- 1 medium chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp grated palm sugar (or soft brown sugar)
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
- For the duck:
- 1 double boneless duck breast with skin on (approx 400 – 450g in total)
Instructions
- Prepare the spice paste first. Put shallots, garlic ,galangal, candlenuts, tumeric, and palm sugar into a food processor and grind coarsely. Heat oil and fry all ingredients until very hot, stirring frequently, until the paste changes to a golden colour. Cool before using.
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Pour the marinade into a dish large enough to hold both duck breasts side by side. Spread the marinade evenly across the bottom of the dish. Set aside until required.
- Now prepare the duck breasts. Prepare duck breasts by scoring the skin in a crosshatch pattern (avoiding the meat). Place breasts meat side down on the marinade, taking care not to get any marinade on the scored skin. Cover and put the marinated duck in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- To cook the breasts, remove the dish of marinated breasts from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
- Carefully remove each breast from the dish, shaking off excess marinade (reserve the marinade to make a sauce later on).
- Keeping the skin side clean, and place the breasts skin-side down in a cold pan. Cook on medium-low heat for 10–15 minutes to render the fat, then flip to sear the flesh for 2–5 minutes, aiming for medium-rare.
- Remove breasts from the pan to a resting dish and rest for 5 – 10 minutes, loosely covered with a piece of foil.
- Now make a quick sauce in the same pan. Keep 1-2 tablespoons of rendered duck fat in the pan.Spoon in the reserved marinade, add the extra coconut milk and stir until combined. Lightly simmer over medium heat stirring to combine and to prevent sticking. The sauce should have a pouring consistency, coating the back of a spoon when tested. Season to taste.
- When ready to eat, slice the breasts across the grain and serve with tossed greens and rice.
