recipe by Samadini
On bumpy dirt roads, we drove past fields of rice paddies to arrive at Samadini’s house. We were greeted by goats, chickens, and baby ducklings that were in the family courtyard. She excitedly told us about the duck she purchased from her neighbor is now all cleaned up and ready to go for the duck masala.
Duck Masala
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 6
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck (3.5-4.5 lbs / 1.5-2kg)
- 2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 3 Tbsp mustard oil (tel)
- 1/3 cup garlic paste
- 1/3 cup ginger paste
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (jeera powder)
- 2 Indian bay leaves
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2-3 cups Water
- 1 tomato, cut into wedges
Instructions
-
Prepare the duck by washing it and cutting into 2 inch pieces. Samadini’s duck was made from a whole duck purchased from her neighbor and cooked it with bone in and skin on.
-
Marinate the duck with turmeric and approx 2 teaspoons of of salt. Coat it with approx. 1 Tbsp of mustard oil and set aside to marinade for at least 30 minutes (if mustard oil is not available, replace with 1 Tbsp of vegetables oil and ½ tsp of dry mustard)
-
Heat up to 2 Tbsp of mustard oil in a pot on medium heat. Add onion and cook for about a minute before adding the garlic and ginger paste. Then stir in ½ cup of chopped cilantro. Cook until onions become translucent.
-
Add garam masala, cardamom, Indian bay leaves, chili powder, and ground cumin. Stir well.
-
Add the duck and stir, increase heat to high.
-
Once duck is nicely browned on all sides, decrease the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.
-
Add tomato wedges and 2 cups of water. Scrape the sides and bottom to loosen up anything stuck there. Place the lid and simmer on low for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
-
Mix in the remaining ½ cup of the cilantro. Serve hot.
