Thai Red Curry Duck

Ingredients

• 2 legs (about 12 oz total) boneless duck legs with skin
• 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 13.5 oz (1 can) unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
• 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 2 whole (optional) fresh Thai bird chilies or jalapeños
• ½ cup (about 15 leaves) fresh green Thai basil or cilantro
• ½ lime fresh lime
• 2 eggplants small Japanese or Thai eggplants
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable or canola)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat both duck legs completely dry with paper towels, paying special attention to the skin side — dry skin renders more evenly and crisps better. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Halve 2 small Japanese eggplants lengthwise, then cut each half into 2-inch pieces, keeping the skin on. Cut 2 fresh Thai bird chilies in half lengthwise if using.

3. 3

   Place a 10-inch heavy-bottomed sauté pan or shallow Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, lay both duck legs skin-side down in the pan. You should hear an immediate sizzle. Cook skin-side down for 8-10 minutes without moving them — the fat will render and the skin will turn golden and crispy. You want a deep golden-brown crust, not pale or browned spots.

4. 4

   Flip the duck legs to the flesh side and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the flesh side is light golden. The meat inside should still yield slightly when pressed — it will continue cooking in the curry. Transfer the duck to a plate.

5. 5

   Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the duck fat from the pan (reserve the rest for another use — it's liquid gold for cooking). Return the pan to medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste directly to the fat. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, crushing any clumps against the pan's sides. The paste should darken slightly and become fragrant, with oil beginning to separate from the solids — this is called 'blooming' and it deepens the spice flavor.

6. 6

   Pour in one 13.5-ounce can of unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate all the curry paste. Stir well for 1 minute. The sauce will look curdled and textured at first — that's normal.

7. 7

   Return the duck legs to the pan, skin-side up, nestling them into the curry sauce. Add 1.5 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of palm sugar, and the halved Thai chilies if using. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 15-18 minutes, occasionally spooning sauce over the duck. The sauce should bubble gently at the edges, not a rolling boil.

8. 8

   After 12 minutes, add all the eggplant pieces to the curry, stirring them into the sauce. Continue simmering until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a fork (usually 6-8 more minutes) and the duck is fork-tender.

9. 9

   Taste the curry and adjust seasoning: squeeze in juice from 0.5 fresh lime and taste again — you should taste a balance of salt (fish sauce), spice (curry), sweetness (sugar), and brightness (lime). Add more lime juice, fish sauce, or sugar 0.5 teaspoon at a time as needed.

10. 10

    Remove from heat and tear or roughly chop 0.5 cup of fresh Thai basil leaves (or cilantro if basil is unavailable). Scatter them over the curry just before serving — the heat will release their aroma without cooking away their delicate flavor.

11. 11

    Ladle the curry into shallow bowls, placing one duck leg in each bowl with a generous portion of eggplant and sauce. Serve immediately with jasmine rice on the side, or over rice if you prefer the grains to soak up the curry sauce.

Tools you’ll need

• paper towels
• 10-inch heavy-bottomed sauté pan or shallow Dutch oven
• wooden spoon
• plate
• instant-read thermometer (optional)
• fine-mesh strainer (for reserved duck fat)
• shallow bowls

More recipes like this

• 

  Crispy Chicken Chalugas with Quick Lime Crema

  45 min

• 

  Southern Quick-Pickled Green Tomatoes

  50 min

• 

  Burritos de Carne Asada

  25 min

• 

  Crispy Seafood Batagor with Peanut Sauce

  30 min