Curried Duck Legs With Ginger and Rhubarb

- Total Time
- 2 hours, plus overnight refrigeration (optional)
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4pounds whole duck legs, with thighs (about 8), or whole chicken legs (5 or 6)
- Kosher salt
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2large onions, diced (about 4 cups)
- 6garlic cloves, chopped
- 14-inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1tablespoon garam masala
- 1tablespoon cider vinegar
- ½teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓cup unsweetened coconut milk
- ½pound rhubarb, sliced ½ -inch thick (2 cups)
- 1tablespoon brown sugar
- Chopped fresh cilantro or chives, for garnish
Preparation
- Step 1
Using kitchen shears, trim away all fat and skin that hangs from sides of duck legs, leaving only skin on top of meat. Toss duck legs with 1 teaspoon salt.
- Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over high heat. Add as many duck pieces as fit easily. Brown on one side, about 7 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat if necessary.
- Step 3
While duck browns, combine 1 cup onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, vinegar, cayenne, turmeric, black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup water in a blender, and process until smooth.
- Step 4
When duck is done, spoon out all but about 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet. Add remaining onions and a large pinch of salt. Sauté until soft, 5 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes.
- Step 5
Add coconut milk and 2 cups water, and bring to a simmer. Add rhubarb, brown sugar, duck legs and any juices that may have accumulated in bowl. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 1 hour, turning duck pieces halfway through. Uncover pan, turn duck again, and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Step 6
Spoon fat off sauce and serve duck or, better, chill duck overnight and degrease sauce before reheating all on a low flame. Serve garnished with cilantro or chives.
Private Notes
Comments
I liked the sauce OK, but would use only chicken next time. I regretted burying the duck under all the stuff in the sauce, especially as it costs a good deal more, and renders more fat.
Very tasty, but meat was not fall-off-the-bone tender; maybe needed more cooking time. Rhubarb adds nice, subtle fruity flavor and body to sauce.
A keeper! Made this almost exactly as written, with chicken rather than duck legs and garnished with mint; used the rest of the can of cocunut milk for rice and served with chana dal. I might up the rhubarb a bit to give the sauce a bit more body & acidity, but otherwise perfect.
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