Hot Chile Duck with Crab Meat and Cashew Nut Sauce
At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs.
When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.
Ingredients:
6 lb duck
5 cups water, to cover
2 lime leaves
1 tsp salt
2-3 small red chiles, seeded and finely chopped
5 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
4 oz. raw cashew nuts, chopped
1 piece lemon grass, 3 inch long, shredded
1 piece galingal or fresh ginger, 1 inch long, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 shallots or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 piece shrimp paste, 3/4-inch square
1 oz coriander white root or stem, finely chopped
6 oz frozen white crab meat, thawed
2 oz creamed coconut
1 small bunch coriander, chopped, for garnish
Instructions:
To portion the duck into manageable pieces, first remove the legs. Separate the thighs from the drumsticks and chop each thigh and drumstick into 2 pieces. Trim away the lower half of the duck with kitchen scissors. Cut the breast piece in half down the middle, then chop each half into 4 pieces.
Put the duck flesh and bones into a large saucepan and cover with the water. Add the lime leaves and salt, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes until the meat is tender. Discard the duck bones, skim off the fat from the stock, and set aside.
To make the curry sauce, grind the red chiles together with the sugar and salt using a pestle and mortar or a food processor. Dry-fry the coriander and caraway seeds and the cashew nuts in the wok to release their flavor, about 1-2 minutes. Add the chiles, lemon grass, galingal or ginger, garlic and shallots or onion, and reduce to a smooth paste. Add the shrimp paste and coriander.
Add a cup of the liquid in which the duck was cooked and blend to make a thin paste. Stir in the curry seasoning with the duck, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
Add the crab meat and creamed coconut and simmer briefly. Turn out onto a serving dish,and decorate with chopped coriander.
Serves 4-6.
From “Fire and Spice” by Hsiung, Fernandez, and Wheeler.