Celeb Best Blog

The Hedge is definitely not a food blog (wouldn't insult those who do it so well!), but had to share last night's dinner with you. If I see Thai Red Duck Curry on the menu when we are eating out it always get my nod. However, I've never found any recipe I've felt I could replicate well at home. Now thanks to South Australian chef Jordan Theodoros, I have! I picked up a cooked Roast Duck from the Chinese Charcuterie at the Market on the way home from work & in the interests of time & MOTH's look of abject hunger, I cheated by using a sachet of Mae Ploy Red Curry paste instead of doing my own. We have coriander & kaffir lime leaves by the running mile at the moment, so MOTH took the torch & wandered down to his pots on the Tennis Court & brought a whole lot back up to the kitchen. The curry was an outstanding success & I can't recommend it enough.


Red curry of roast duck
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 500ml coconut cream
  
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 60ml fish sauce
• 600 - 800ml coconut milk
  
• 1 whole Chinese-style roast duck, de-boned and sliced (buy it from Chinatown or any good Asian BBQ restaurant)
• 3 long red chillies, halved and de-seeded
• 8 kaffir lime leaves
• ½ ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 6 Thai apple eggplants (optional)
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus chopped into 1cm. pieces

Red Curry Paste (Place 1 tablespoon shrimp paste onto a piece of foil, wrap tightly and roast in a hot oven for 5 - 8 minutes until it becomes fragrant. Unwrap and add it to 2 finely chopped red onions, 10 cloves chopped garlic, 6 coriander roots, 7cm. piece fresh galangal, 2 sticks chopped fresh lemongrass, 15 dried long red chillies peeled, sliced, seeded and soaked in warm water to soften them & then drained, pinch of salt & white pepper. Place them all together in a food processor and blend until smooth.)

• Method:
• Heat the coconut cream in a heavy based pot and boil until it separates and the coconut oil rises to the top. Stand over it and stir to make sure it doesn't catch on the bottom.
• Add 6 tablespoons of the curry paste and fry for 5 minutes until it becomes fragrant, again making sure that you stir constantly.
• Add the coconut milk & then the palm sugar, lime juice & fish sauce, stir & bring to the boil.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes until the flavours combine and it tastes sweet, salty, spicy and creamy.
• Serve with heaps of steamed fragrant Jasmine rice sprinkled with fresh coriander.