Duck Confit Khao Soi Recipes

KAO SOI

Steps:

• For the slow-cooked chicken: Sear the chicken thighs in rice bran oil in a wok over high heat. Add the peppercorns, cinnamon and star anise. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken skin is crispy, 10 minutes.
• Put the chicken in a large pot. Add the palm sugar, black soy sauce, thin soy sauce, celery and garlic. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 hours.
• For the curry sauce: Place the curry paste, red onion, ginger, cumin, dried chiles and cardamom in a blender and blend into a thick paste.
• Heat the rice bran oil in the wok over medium heat. Add spice paste and lower the heat; cook until you can smell the curry, around 7 minutes. Add the coconut milk, granulated sugar, palm sugar, fish sauce, 4 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 gallons water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.
• To serve: Put some boiled egg noodles in a bowl. Add slow-cooked chicken and curry sauce and top with fried egg noodles, green onions and red onions.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Rub salt, pepper and the minced garlic all over the duck and under the skin. Place the duck, breast down, in a deep braising pan and add duck fat to fully submerge; the amount of fat will vary depending on pan size.
• Place the braising pan in the oven and cook for no less than 5 hours (see Cook's Note).
• Remove the duck from the fat and gently pull the meat off of the bones.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Lay the leg portions on a platter, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and the black pepper. Place the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme on each of 2 leg portions. Lay the remaining 2 leg portions, flesh to flesh, on top. Put the reserved fat from the ducks in the bottom of a glass or plastic container. Top with the sandwiched leg portions. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Remove the duck from the refrigerator. Remove the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat and reserve. Rinse the duck with cool water, rubbing off some of the salt and pepper. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Put the reserved garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot. Sprinkle evenly with the peppercorns and table salt. Lay the duck on top, skin side down. Add the olive oil. Cover and bake for 12 to 14 hours, or until the meat pulls away from the bone.
• Remove the duck from the fat. Strain the fat and reserve. To store the duck confit, place the duck leg portions in a container, cover with the reserved cooking fat, and store in the refrigerator. Alternately, pick the meat from the bones and place it in a stoneware container. Cover the meat with a thin layer of some of the strained fat. The duck confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• The excess oil can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used like butter for cooking. The tinge of duck taste in the oil is wonderful.

CONFIT OF DUCK

Steps:

• The day before you want to make the dish, scatter half the salt, half the garlic and half of the herbs over the base of a small shallow dish. Lay the duck legs, skin-side up, on top, then scatter over the remaining salt, garlic and herbs. Cover the duck and refrigerate overnight. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
• Pour the wine into a saucepan that will snugly fit the duck legs in a single layer. Brush the salt off the duck legs and place them, skin-side down, in the wine. Cover the pan with a lid and place over a medium heat. As soon as the wine starts to bubble, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook for 2 hours, checking occasionally that the liquid is just barely simmering. (If you own a heat diffuser, it would be good to use it here.) After 2 hours, the duck legs should be submerged in their own fat and the meat should feel incredibly tender when prodded. Leave to cool.
• The duck legs are now cooked and can be eaten immediately - or you can follow the next step if you like them crisp. If you are preparing ahead, pack the duck legs tightly into a plastic container or jar and pour over the fat, but not the liquid at the bottom of the pan. Cover and leave in the fridge for up to a month, or freeze for up to 3 months. The liquid you are left with makes a tasty gravy, which can be chilled or frozen until needed.
• To reheat and crisp up the duck legs, heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Remove the legs from the fat and place them, skin-side down, in an ovenproof frying pan. Roast for 30-40 mins, turning halfway through, until brown and crisp. Serve with the reheated gravy, a crisp salad and some crisp golden ptoatoes.