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Duck rendang and green papaya-slaw rice paper rolls
Makes 16 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs
- 190g jar rendang paste
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 4tsp fish sauce
- 2tbsp clear honey
- 3cm piece fresh ginger, grated
- 16 rice paper roll wrappers
For the salad
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- ½ small green papaya, cut into fine matchsticks
- ¼ cucumber, seeds removed and cut into fine matchsticks
- 6 green beans, finely sliced
- 2-3 spring onions, cut into fine diagonal slices
- small handful baby plum tomatoes, quartered
- a few fresh mint leaves
- a few fresh coriander leaves
For the dressing
- 6tbsp lime juice
- 6tbsp fish sauce
- 1 small chilli, very finely chopped
- 2cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
- 2-3tsp caster sugar
For the Thai sweet chilli sauce
- ½tsp cornflour
- 1 small red pepper, deseeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 120ml rice wine vinegar
- 180g caster sugar
Method
To make the duck rendang, preheat the oven to 190C/170C F/Gas 5. Put the duck legs in a cold frying pan, set it over a medium heat and cook the duck for around 10-15 minutes until it is golden brown and the fat has rendered down. Transfer the duck to an ovenproof dish with a lid, leaving 1tbsp of the duck fat in the frying pan (you can keep the rest in the fridge for roasting potatoes).
Add the rendang paste to the pan and fry in the duck fat for 2-3 minutes until it begins to separate and smell fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, honey and grated ginger. Pour the mixture over the duck legs, cover and roast in the oven for around 2½-3 hours until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the meat falls off the bones. Leave to cool slightly, then shred the meat and stir into any remaining sauce.
To make the Thai sauce, mix the cornflour with 25ml water in a bowl and set aside. Put the red pepper in a jug or mini processor with the red chilli, garlic cloves and 50ml water. Blitz with a stick blender or in the processor until everything is very finely and evenly chopped.
Put the rice wine vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over a gentle heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the blitzed pepper mixture and stir. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 5 minutes, until the mixture is glossy and has thickened slightly. Stir in the cornflour mixture and bubble for a couple more minutes, then leave to cool.
Mix all the ingredients for the salad, apart from the herbs, together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together, then pour over the salad and toss until evenly mixed.
To make the rolls, take a rice paper wrapper and dip it into a bowl of warm water for around 3 seconds. It will continue to soften once you remove it from the water, so don’t be tempted to leave it in too long. Place the dampened roll on a wooden board and put some of the salad, a leaf or
two of mint and coriander, and some of the shredded duck in the centre of the roll, horizontally.
Taking the edge of the wrapper nearest you, fold it over the filling and tuck it under the filling at the other side. Continue to roll tightly, tucking the sides in when you get to half way. Repeat with all the wrappers and filling.
Serve the rice paper rolls with the sweet chilli sauce.
This recipe was taken from the January/February 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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