Duck larb with crispy duck skin
With all the flavour of duck, fish sauce, lime and chilli you'd never expect that it's the texture of the toasty roasted rice that really makes this dish, but it does. Don't be tempted to skip that crucial step.
Ingredients
1 tbsp uncooked white rice
½ tsp chilli flakes
¼ tsp chilli powder
2 duck breasts, skin on
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp castor sugar
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1 cup loosely packed coriander leaves
lettuce leaves and sliced cucumber, to serve
Method
1. Heat the uncooked rice in a small dry frying pan over medium heat until the rice begins to turn chalky. Add the chilli flakes and chilli powder and continue to toast for about a minute until the chilli is fragrant and the rice is lightly browned in spots. Transfer to a mortar and grind to a coarse powder.
2. Remove the skin from the duck breasts and set aside. Chop the breasts to a coarse mince. Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add half a cup of water and the duck, stirring and breaking up any clumps for about five minutes until the duck is just cooked through. Transfer the duck and any juices to a large bowl and allow to cool slightly.
3. For the duck skin, season both sides well with salt. Heat a frying pan over high heat and add the oil. Place the skin skin-side down in the pan and press the base of a smaller heavy saucepan down on top of the skin, keeping it in contact with the pan. Cook for about two minutes, then flip and press down again for another two minutes. Remove the saucepan and fry on the skin side for another minute or so until the duck is crisp and browned. Drain, allow to cool and crisp further, then cut into very thin slices.
4. Mix the duck meat with the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, roasted rice and chilli, spring onions, mint and coriander until well combined. Scatter with the crispy duck skin and serve with the lettuce and sliced cucumber.
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Adam Liaw is a cookbook author and food writer, co-host of Good Food Kitchen and former MasterChef winner.
