Duck Panang Curry With Julienne Vegetables

 

Valentine's day is here, and many of  you will be heading out for a romantic dinner. But considering that Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday, you may be considering staying home to make a special meal. If that's the case, we recommend treating your date to this delicoius duck panang curry dish.

Thai food is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. While some Thai curries can be VERY spicy, Panang is milder and pairs perfectly with the flavor of duck.

The toughest part about making Thai food is the preparation. Before you start searing the duck or cooking the sauce, we recommend chopping all the vegetables and herbs ahead of time. Once you've prepped everything, the recipe is actually quite easy to follow!

4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 3-4 duck breast halves
• 2 red bell peppers, julienned
• 10-15 brocoli florets
• 1/4 lb frenched green beens
• 5 carrots, julienned
• 1 tablespoon hot chili garlic paste (sambal oelek)*
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 finely chopped shallots
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5" piece of fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 Cup Thai Panang curry paste**
• 27 ounces unsweetened coconut milk**
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce*
• 2 Cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice
• Salt and Pepper to taste

*These ingredients are available in the Asian section of many supermarkets and at Asian food markets.

 

**Be sure to buy good quality curry paste and coconut milk. For all Thai dishes we make at the bakery, we use Maesri brand curry paste and Chaokoh coconut milk.

Cooking the Duck Breasts

Duck is a very fatty meat, and the fat adds to its flavor. To prep the duck, you'll want to score the skin side and season it with salt. For an example of how to score a duck breast, see this video:
 

Place the duck breasts skin side down in a cold skillet over low-medium heat. Starting off with a cold skillet allows the skin to crisp without burning the skin. After eight minutes of cooking on the skin side, flip the duck and cook for another three to four minutes for a nice rosy-pink center. Once the duck has cooked, put it aside to cool, and then slice the breasts so they are ready when the time comes to add them to the curry sauce.

***There will be leftover duck fat in the pan. Pour this fat into a bowl for use in the vegetables and curry sauce.

Saute the Vegetables

Add two tablespoons of the duck fat to the skillet and saute half of the shallots, garlic and ginger until fragrant. Then, add the brocoli, green beans, and julienned carrots. Saute these vegetables for two to three minutes, and then add the bell peppers and hot chili paste. Saute for another two to three minutes to allow flavors to combine. Once vegetables are sauteed, take them out of the skillet and set them aside.

Making the Panang Curry Sauce

Add two tablespoons of duck fat to skillet and saute the remaining shallots, garlic and ginger. Once these three ingredients are fragrant, add the curry paste, brown sugar and fish sauce to the skillet. Mix these ingredients together with a wooden spoon over low-medium heat for two to three minutes. Once the flavors have combined, stir in the unsweetend cocunut milk. Bring to a boil and then simmer the sauce. You can add 1/2 cup of water if the sauce seems thick.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Finally add the sliced duck breast to the sauce and stire until coated.

Prepare for serving

Scoop a cup of rice onto the plate. Then add the sauce and a few slices of the duck breast on top. Top the curry sauce with the sauteed vegetables and some freshly chopped cilantro. Enjoy!