Dinner
Sri Lankan Cardamom and Clove Duck Confit
A Sri Lankan-French Occasion dish, duck legs slow-confited in their own fat with cardamom, clove, and pandan then finished in a tamarind and palm sugar glaze so the French confit silkiness and the Sri Lankan spice depth are structurally inseparable and the result is unlike anything else on the table.
$9
15 minsPrep
2 hrs 15 minsCook
150 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
782Calories
38gProtein
52gFat
52gCarbs
8gSugar
4gFiber
720mgSodium
95mgChol
0gSat Fat
Goes well with
Amber Ale
local
Sri Lankan Tea (Ceylon Black Tea)
international
High Protein
Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free
fusion-kitchen
Instructions
1
Prep
Season 2 duck legs with 1.5 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp pepper. Lightly crush 6 cardamom pods. Smash 3 garlic cloves and slice 1 thumb ginger. Tie 1 pandan leaf in a knot. For glaze: mix 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 tbsp grated palm sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 0.5 thumb finely grated ginger, 1 finely grated garlic clove, and 3 tbsp water in a bowl.
2
Bake
Preheat oven to 140°C. Place seasoned duck legs in a snug ovenproof dish. Scatter cardamom, cloves, pandan, cinnamon stick, smashed garlic, and sliced ginger around them. Pour 300ml neutral oil over to completely submerge. Cover tightly with foil and bake 2 hours until meat pulls easily from bone when tested.
3
Reduce
Remove duck from fat, reserve 1 tbsp confit fat. Pour glaze mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir 3–4 minutes until palm sugar dissolves and glaze thickens to glossy consistency.
4
Crisp
Heat reserved confit fat in a wide frying pan over high heat. Place duck skin-side down, press firmly with spatula, cook 4–5 minutes without moving until skin is deeply golden and shatteringly crisp. Flip and cook 1 minute.
5
Glaze
Brush tamarind glaze generously over duck skin. Cook 1 minute until glaze caramelises. While duck rests, char 2 halved pak choi heads in the same pan with 1 tsp sesame oil, 2–3 minutes per side, until edges blacken.
6
Plate
Set steamed jasmine rice on plates. Top with glazed duck leg. Arrange charred pak choi alongside. Scatter 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds and 10g fresh coriander over the top. Serve immediately.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 22 x 280g duck legs
- 1.5 tsp1.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp black pepper
- 66 cardamom pods
- 44 whole cloves
- 11 pandan leaf
- 11 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves3 cloves garlic
- 11 thumb fresh ginger
- 300ml300ml neutral oil
- 2 tbsp2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp2 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp1 tbsp soy sauce
- 0.50.5 thumb fresh ginger
- 1 clove1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp3 tbsp water
- 360–440g steamed jasmine rice
- 22 heads pak choi
- 1 tsp1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 10g10g fresh coriander
