Duck Curry with Coconut and Banana

This is an unusual duck curry with the addition of banana and cashew nuts. The flavour of the spices penetrate the duck, enhancing the flavour of the meat.

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4 - 6 Portions

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Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 duck breast, skins removed
75ml oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
7cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 long green chilies, finely chopped
400g can of chopped plum tomatoes
1 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
pinch maldon salt
100g shredded coconut

Ground Spice Mix

2 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric

Whole Spice Mix

2 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods
3cm cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
10 curry leaves

To Finish

2 bananas, sliced
50g roasted cashew nuts
juice of half a lime
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

To Serve

boiled basmati rice
or pilau rice (see recipe)
chapati bread or papadums (optional)
Indian curry accompaniments eg. raita (see recipe), mango chutney and lime pickles

Method

Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan over a moderate-high heat. Place the onions and garlic in the pan and allow them to cook for a couple of minutes until the onion is soft. Add the ginger, chilies and ground spice mixture, cook for a further minute stirring it regularly with a wooden spoon. Finally add the chopped tomatoes, coconut, salt, sugar and whole spice mixture, reduce the heat to moderate and leave it to simmer until reduced by 1/2 (around 15-20 minutes), stirring it regularly so that the base doesn't burn.
When the sauce has reduced by half add the duck breasts to the pan and cook them for a further 6-8 minutes. If the sauce becomes to thick add a little water. Remove the breast from the sauce and keep them in a warm place while you finish the sauce.
Stir the bananas, cashews, lime juice and coriander into the sauce, so that it is well distributed. Taste the sauce and add a little more salt, lime juice or sugar if desired.
To Serve: Slice each duck breast into 5-6 slices widthwise. Add the duck to the hot sauce and serve with your choice of rice, chapati bread or papadums (optional) and your choice of accompaniments.