Duck Breast with Mushrooms
Arriving at the table in towers, this dish has a distinctly Asian accent. Gingered Jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables, and fried sweet potato julienne are layered with seared duck breast slices glazed in tamarind sauce. Fried lotus root slices garnish the tops of the towers. A coffee can could be used for the mold.
Ingredients
- Tamarind Sauce
- Water - 1-1/2 quarts
- Sugar - 2-1/4 pounds
- Tamarind paste - 10 ounces
- Fresh Ginger - 4 to 5 inches, peeled and chopped
- Orange Juice - 1 cup
- Garnishes
- Peanut oil for deep frying
- Lotus Root - 1, peeled and sliced thin
- Sweet potatoes - 1, peeled and cut in very fine julienne
- Rice
- Sesame Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Garlic Clove - 1, minced
- Green Onion - 1, minced
- Carrot - 1 small, diced small
- Fresh Ginger - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Shiitake Mushrooms - 4, diced small
- Jasmine rice - 1 cup, steamed
- Vegetables
- Sesame Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Fresh Ginger - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Button or porcini mushrooms - 1/2 cup, diced
- Green Onion - 1, minced
- Bean sprouts - 1/2 cup
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Duck Breasts - 2
- Salt - 1 teaspoon, or to taste
- Chives - 8, minced
Instructions
To prepare the sauce: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan or pot and bring just to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 30 minutes to reduce. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve; set aside and keep warm.
To prepare the garnishes: Heat the oil to 365 F in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan. Add the lotus root slices and fry until crisp, 30 to 45 seconds. Drain on paper towels; set aside in a warm place. Repeat with the julienned sweet potatoes. Do not crowd the pan; fry in batches if necessary.
To prepare the rice: Heat the sesame oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and stir-fry until slightly softened. Add the carrot, ginger, and mushrooms and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the rice and toss to blend, breaking up any clumps of rice. Set aside; keep warm.
To prepare the vegetables: Heat the oil in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat and saute the ginger, mushrooms, and spring onions until the mushrooms are slightly browned. Add the bean sprouts and toss to coat. Cook 30 seconds; the sprouts should still be crunchy. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper.
To prepare the duck: Prepare the cooking area in case the duck flames up while cooking. Remove any excess fat from the duck breasts and sprinkle lightly with salt. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Put the duck in the skillet, skin-side down. Warning: the fat in the skin will render, and may flame up. While flames help cook the duck, you should be ready for this! Cook 30 to 45 seconds on the skin side, then turn over with tongs and sear on the other side. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook 1 minute. The duck should be well browned and the skin crisp. Remove from heat. Slice the breast into thin crosswise slices, then return to the pan over medium-high heat. Season with pepper and pour the tamarind sauce over the duck. Turn the slices to glaze them in the sauce.
To serve: Place a tall 4-inch diameter mold in the center of each plate. Fill half way with the rice, packing it slightly to mold. Fill half way to the top with the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with julienned sweet potatoes and press gently. Overlap duck slices over the potatoes. Stand lotus root slices in the top. Gently lift the molds. Sprinkle the plates with minced chives.
