Recipes

Thai Red Curry with Roasted Duck

  • Serves

    serves 4

THOMAS PAYNE

For the best results when you're making this sweet and spicy dish, ask the counterperson at your local Chinese market to cut the roasted duck into pieces. We recommend using the Mae Ploy brand of canned coconut milk; its high fat content makes for a rich and luxurious curry.

Ingredients

  • 2 12 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
  • 14 cup Thai red curry paste, such as Mae Ploy brand
  • 12 Chinese roasted duck, cut into 2" pieces
  • 10 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1" chunks
  • 1 12 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp. Thai palm sugar
  • 6 Thai chiles, stemmed
  • 20 cherry tomatoes, left whole
  • Leaves from 10 stems basil, preferably Thai basil
  • Steamed jasmine rice

Instructions

Step 1

Heat 1 cup of the coconut milk in a large pot over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the curry paste and continue to simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is very aromatic, about 5 minutes more.

Step 2

Add the cut-up duck to the curry mixture and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the duck is heated through, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, lime leaves, and 3⁄4 cup water. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring, until the flavors have melded, about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple, fish sauce, sugar, and chiles and continue to simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pineapple is fork tender, about 5 minutes more.

Step 3

If you like, skim off and discard oil from the top of the curry. Stir in the tomatoes and the basil and simmer the curry for 1 minute more; the tomatoes and basil should retain their shape and bright color. Serve the curry with steamed jasmine rice.

Continue to Next Story

Want more SAVEUR?

Get our favorite recipes, stories, and more delivered to your inbox.