Duck meat is one of the extremely flavourful meats, consumed more or less almost everywhere worldwide. And it is one of my favourites too. Today, I am sharing a simple and easy recipe of Duck Meat, the way I like it most. This mildly spiced duck dry fry prepared with minimum spices and aromatics is well balanced, tender and delicious. The meat is fried and cooked in the rendered duck fat, and only a few drops of cooking oil are used to season the pan in this recipe. In fact, duck fat is much healthier than lard (pork fat), tallow (beef fat) and butter as it contains unsaturated fat and other healthy minerals. Try this slow-cooked gourmet loaded with rich finger-licking pan gravy and enjoy.

Ingredients:

Duck meat: 700-800 gms (cleaned and smoked with skin)

For marinating:
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Ground black pepper: 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Vinegar: 4 tablespoons
Salt: 1-2 pinches   

For cooking
Onions: 4 medium sizes (sliced)
Ginger & garlic: 2 tablespoons (rough-ground paste) 
Bay leaves: 2
Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Black pepper: 1 teaspoon (rough-ground)
Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon (rough-ground)
Salt: As per taste
Spring onion: for garnishing
Oil: 1 tablespoon (optional)

Preparation: 60 to 90 minutes, serves four persons.

Step 1: Marinate the duck meat with turmeric, black pepper, red chilli powder, vinegar and salt for half an hour.

Step 2: Heat a pan or wok and season it with one tablespoon of oil. The oil is optional item as the duck meat contains a generous amount of fat that is sufficient for cooking. So I used only one tablespoon oil to season the wok. Keep the gas in medium heat. Once the pan/ wok is heated, add the marinated meat and bay leaves, fry it for 10 to 15 minutes until it turns light brown. By this time, the oil will come out from the duck meat and gather at the bottom of the wok.

Step 3: At this stage, add the chopped onion. Saute it for another 10-15 minutes until the onion becomes translucent and brown. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for two minutes. Now add black pepper and red chilli powder (1 teaspoon of each) and salt as per taste. Saute it for another 2-3 minutes and add water (about 200-250 ml) for cooking. Lower the flame, cover the lid and let it simmer for about 45 minutes until the meat is tender.

Step 4: After 45 minutes once the meat is tender stir the meat in medium to high heat to dry up the excess water for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the ground cinnamon and stir it gently, toss some spring onion over it and cover the lid. Turn off the gas and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with some more spring onions and serve hot with steamed rice/naan/ chapatti or some roasted vegetable/ salad.