Duck braised with a light tamarind sauce is slightly different but very delicious take on an Indian curry. Typically tamarind is paired with seafood dishes but in this instance the tart tamarind really helps to cut through the richness of the duck providing a light tomato based sauce that is best mopped up by fragrant coriander rice.

This is definitely a weekend dish as the duck needs time to slowly breakdown and absorb all the delicious flavour of the spices and tamarind.

Let’s get cooking…

As always the base for a good curry starts by gently frying onions and whole spices in oil until soft. Add in turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder and curry powder and fry for a few seconds then add ginger and garlic paste and saute until fragrant.

Add in tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, the oil should look like it bubbling to the top and tomatoes should form a paste. Next toss in the duck, add salt and ground spices and toss to coat in the spices.

Simmer on low to medium heat until the duck is soft and fully cooked through (you should be able to easily break a piece with a spoon). Stir regularly and add water as needed to allow the duck to cook. This should take 1- 1 ½ hours if your duck is free range.

Once the duck is cooked there should still be a saucy, thick gravy, add in the tamarind paste and stir into the gravy. Allow this to simmer for 5 minutes then turn off the heat.

Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed coriander rice and a carrot salad to cut through the richness.

Braised Duck with Tamarind

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

minutes

Ingredients

500g duck, chopped into a large dice
2 large tomatoes, finely diced
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger and garlic past, or you can crush ginger and garlic separately
3 cinnamon stocks
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 cardamom pods
1 black cardamom pod
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander seed
½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
3 tsp curry powder, depends on heat preference
2 tbsp oil, coconut or vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp coriander, chopped
1 tsp tamarind paste

Directions

Fry onion and whole spices in oil until soft
Add in turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder and curry powder and fry for a few seconds then add ginger and garlic paste and fry until fragrant
Add in tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, the oil should look like it bubbling to the top
Add in duck, add salt and ground spices and toss to coat in the spices
Simmer on low-medium heat duck is soft and fully cooked through (you should be able to easily break a piece with a spoon). Stir regularly and add water as needed to allow the duck to cook. This should take 1- 1 ½ hours if your duck is free range
Once the duck is cooked there should still be a saucy gravy, add in the tamarind paste and stir into the gravy.
Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed coriander rice and a carrot salad to cut through the richness.