Dinner
Pondicherry Duck Curry with Coconut and Star Anise
A Pondicherry original from the Tamil-French colonial kitchen, duck legs slow-braised in a coconut milk and star anise curry where the Tamil spice tradition and the French technique of rendering duck fat before braising are both structurally present in a dish that exists nowhere else.
$7
20 minsPrep
1 hr 20 minsCook
100 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
1045Calories
38gProtein
52gFat
108gCarbs
8gSugar
2gFiber
685mgSodium
105mgChol
0gSat Fat
Goes well with
Kingfisher Lager
local
Masala Chai
international
High Protein
Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free
fusion-kitchen
Instructions
1
Prep
Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern cutting through fat but not flesh. Season with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper all over. Finely dice 1 large onion, grate 4 garlic cloves and 1.5 thumbs ginger, slice 1 small green chilli, measure curry leaves, star anise, all ground spices, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk.
2
Sear
Place duck legs skin-side down in a cold heavy casserole. Turn heat to medium, cook 12–14 minutes without moving, pouring off excess fat every 5 minutes, until skin is deep golden and most fat has rendered. Flip and cook 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3
Saute
Pour off all but 1 tbsp duck fat from the casserole, reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion, cook 6 minutes until golden. Add garlic, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves, and star anise; stir 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
4
Bloom
Add all ground spices and tomato paste, stir 2 minutes until paste darkens. Add chopped tomatoes, cook 3 minutes until slightly reduced. Scrape bottom of casserole to lift any browned bits.
5
Braise
Pour in coconut milk, add 0.5 tsp salt and 1 tsp palm sugar, stir to combine and bring to gentle simmer. Return duck legs skin-side up, cover, and braise over low heat 55–60 minutes until meat is completely tender and pulls from bone.
6
Reduce
Uncover and simmer 5–8 minutes over medium heat until sauce reduces to a thick, glossy coating around the duck. Remove star anise. Check seasoning and adjust if needed.
7
Finish and plate
Scatter 10g fresh coriander and 60g sliced red onion over the duck. Serve with 360–440g steamed basmati rice per person and lime wedges on the side.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 22 x 280g duck legs
- 1 tsp1 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp1 tbsp neutral oil
- 11 large onion (200g)
- 4 cloves4 cloves garlic
- 25g25g fresh ginger
- 11 small green chilli
- 1010 curry leaves
- 22 whole star anise
- 1.5 tsp1.5 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp1 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.75 tsp0.75 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 0.25 tsp0.25 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1.5 tbsp1.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 200g200g canned chopped tomatoes
- 400ml400ml coconut milk
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp1 tsp palm sugar
- 360g360g basmati rice
- 10g10g fresh coriander
- 11 lime
- 60g60g red onion
