Thai red curry with duck
Asian cuisine is undoubtedly one of the most versatile in the world. An awful lot of flavors, ingredients and aromas come together. During my visit to Thailand, I was eager to experiment with all these fascinating products myself. The chef at my hotel was happy to teach me how to make an authentic Thai red curry with duck. I'm happy to now share the recipe with you!
Ingredients for 2 people:
- 1 duck breast of about 400 g with fat
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 400 ml coconut milk with at least 40% coconut
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 75 g Thai pea eggplant, picked
- 200 g fresh pineapple cut into cubes
- 150 g cherry tomatoes
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- ½ bunch of Thai basil
- 1 red chili pepper in fine strips for finishing touches
If you can't find pea eggplant, replace it with another variety of Thai eggplant. Our Western eggplant does not have the same bitterness and texture. If you can’t find the Thai variety, leave it out and add more pineapple and tomato instead.
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Making curry
Scoop the top layer of cream from the coconut milk and heat it in a pan. Be careful not to shake the can of coconut milk!
Then add the red curry paste. Let the mixture simmer gently for a few minutes while stirring. Add two thirds of the coconut milk, the fish sauce and the sugar to the mixture. Bring everything to a boil.
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Add the vegetables
Now add the eggplant and cherry tomatoes as well. Simmer until they are almost cooked through. Should your curry be a bit too thick, add a little extra coconut milk. But be careful not to make it too watery.
Once the eggplant and cherry tomatoes are cooked, add the kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil and pineapple pieces. Keep a few basil leaves as a finishing touch. Let the curry simmer gently for a few more minutes.
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Backing the duck breast
Make incisions into the skin of the duck breast, without cutting all the way through to the meat. Try to create a diamond pattern. Heat an ungreased pan and place the duck breast in the pan, fat-side down. Brown one side and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
Then turn the duck breast over and sauté for about 3 minutes. The meat should still look pink. Remove the duck breast from the pan, cover with foil and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Finally, cut the duck breast into fine strips. If you wish, you can cut away the fat. Arrange the meat in a dish and top with the red curry sauce. Finish the curry with some basil and strips of red chili pepper and serve with steamed rice.
![SG 63 thai duck curry]()
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Tip
Do you have left-over coconut milk? Then use it in cakes, smoothies, coconut rice or in a savory sauce.
