Thai Duck Red Curry with Pineapple

February 10, 2020 8 Comments

(Updated). Meltingly tender duck combines wonderfully with the sharp and sweet flavours of pineapple and coconut in a Thai red curry sauce. I’m not normally a fan of pineapple in savoury dishes (put it on my pizza at your own risk!) but it really does work with this dish. I used to cook this with duck legs but so many people have told me they prefer to use duck breast so I have updated the recipe to reflect that fact. This also has the benefit of allowing the breast to be served pink with the sauce spooned over the duck breast instead of it being cooked in the sauce as it would be when using duck legs. How rare you wish to serve the duck breast is entirely a matter of personal taste, the difference involved is merely minutes. And talking of minutes, that is really all it takes to produce this dish so let’s go!



I like to cook this using a duck breast per person. 1 Can of coconut milk for two duck breasts. The Kaffir  lime leaves are optional as they are already in the paste but they make for a nice decoration on most Thai curry dishes. Check out the link for advice on where to buy. As always, make sure you’re using the “right” type of coconut milk as it will make or break this or any other coconut based curry. Quick guide here, Coconut Milk Summary.
Add the red curry paste to the pan with some of the coconut milk. If you have followed the advice above about the coconut milk then add the thicker part of the coconut milk to the pan, reserving the thinner portion to adjust the sauce later. 


Heat through gently and bring to a simmer and put to one side.

If you’re using Kaffir lime leaves and you want to cut them finely as in the image at the top then see how to do it on this link, Kaffir Lime Chiffonade.
Cut and reserve any peppers you are using.
Cut pineapple into chunks. In an earlier recipe for this I used to cut the pineapple into fancy sections, pretty but time consuming and tricky for those who don't carve pineapples daily. Now I just advise people to cut it whichever way they feel comfortable with. Will this recipe work with canned pineapple? Probably, but you're asking the wrong person! I'm Thai and the whole concept of canned pineapple is alien to me:-)
Put the pineapple segments to one side.

Now we are going to cook the duck breast. I don’t feel it is necessary to score the skin of the duck in this recipe. You can do so if you wish, using a sharp knife but do make sure you don’t cut through to the flesh, and certainly not your own flesh!
Put just a little frying oil in the pan and cook the duck breasts skin side down at a medium heat for about five minutes.


Turn the duck breasts over and cook for around three minutes. Those timings should result in a rare to medium duck. The skin side of the duck should be nicely browned as below.


Remove the duck breast from the pan but don’t throw away the cooking juices. Place the duck breasts on a plate to rest under a piece of foil.

Add the pineapple segments to the pan and let them cook in the juices turning them occasionally until they are caramelised around the edges. Remove from pan and reserve.


Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook quite quickly until the skins begin to burst.


Remove from the pan. Add any sliced peppers to the pan and fry quickly and remove.
Reheat the sauce adjusting the consistency as you go.
Slice the duck breast crosswise into sections as shown.



Arrange on a plate and spoon sauce over and garnish as desired.

 

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