This is a gorgeous way of stretching two duck breasts to feed four people, and thoroughly delicious it is too. Hoi Sin Sauce is traditionally a great partnership with duck but I cannot use it because it is chock full of sugar. The challenge here was to create something in keeping with my dietary protocol. By using Clearspring Umami with Ginger - a kind of miso - with Tamari and date syrup you get a really great tasting sugar-free dish. The idea is to squeeze as much flavour out of everything and this dish delivers. Clearspring have delicious, clean, organic products, so do check them out.
I get my organic duck breasts from Riverford. They are not always available but I buy them in and freeze them when they are. Their duck is delicious and not overly fatty. And you know that they have been reared humanely.
Apart from being sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free, this dish is also keto friendly with little carbohydrate and is chock full of veggies. It serves four as a main course, but 8 as a starter. Using Vietnamese rice paper, you could also use this as a delicious filling for Vietnamese spring rolls.
If you wanted to make this vegan, substitute the duck breast with finely diced aubergine at Stage 7 and cook in coconut oil with the shiitake mushrooms, garlic and ginger.
Serves 4
2 organic duck breasts (from Riverford)
1tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
1.5 tbs date syrup
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
100g shallots, finely sliced.
120 g Shiitake mushrooms
2 scant tbs chopped ginger
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbs Clearspring Ginger Umami paste
1 tbs Clearspring Tamari sauce
100 g finely sliced green beans
1 bunch finely sliced organic spring onions
1 tin bamboo shoots, finely chopped
2 tbs finely chopped coriander
200 g beansprouts
1 tbs black sesame
Clearspring Nori Sprinkle
1 organic Romaine lettuce, washed and separated into leaves
1. Pat duck breast dry and lightly score and sprinkle with pink Himalayan salt.
2. Place in a dry frying pan skin-side down and saute the duck breast for 8 minutes until the skin is golden and then turn and fry for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the frying pan and reserve the fat.
3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and pre-heat an oven to 220C.
4. Brush both sides of the duck breasts with 1 tbs of the date syrup and sprinkle equally with the Chinese 5 Spice powder. Cook in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove when cooked and take off the skin. Allow the meat to cool and when it is, shred the breast. Place the skin back in the oven and cook until crisp. Remove and allow to cool. Once cool chop finely.
5. Take 1 tbs of the reserved duck fat and sprinkle the shallots with a little pink salt and gently saute for 10 minutes over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add 1 tsp of date syrup and increase the heat and carefully stir fry until dry and crispy. Remove from the fat and allow to cool.
6. Steam the sliced green beans for 2 minutes until crisp and bright green.
7. Warm a little of the reserved duck fat and cook the ginger, Shiitake mushrooms and garlic for 5 minutes and tip into a mixing bowl.
8. Into the mixing bowl add the shredded duck, green beans, the bean sprouts, the spring onions, the finely chopped bamboo sprouts, coriander and mix thoroughly.
To serve: Place the mixture in a bowl and lay the lettuce leaves on a platter. Just before serving, sprinkle with the black sesame and scatter the caramelised onions and chopped duck skin over the mixture and finish with a sprinkle of nori.
** Healing Intent: when cooking and preparing foods to heal the body it is important to set your intent. The best way to do this is imagine that you are cooking this dish for yourself or for someone you love who is very ill and that this dish is the only thing that will help in their healing. You will find that the way you handle the food will change, and will not only result in a better dish, but you will feel the food actually nourishing your body and spirit.