Roast Duck with Snow Peas and Mango

Don’t be afraid of roasted duck! Especially if you don’t have to actually cook it at all. While I was a student at the Culinary Institute of America over 20 years ago, I headed back to Los Angeles for my externship, this enabled me to work at a Thai restaurant a few days a week. It was there I discovered that most Thai restaurants buy roast ducks from the local Chinese restaurants to cut up for their salads and curries—actually a great alternative to cooking your own. If the snow peas are not fresh or available at all, use sugar snap peas or even some asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 5 mins
 Cooking time: 7 mins

1 tablespoon chili paste in soya bean oil (nahm prik pow)

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon oil

½ cup (80 g) thinly sliced red onions

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 whole roast duck, deboned and shredded into strips (skin optional but recommended)

1 cup (100 g) snow peas, string pulled off

1 cup (180 g) fresh mango, peeled and cut into bite-sized slices or chunks

½ cup (10 g) mint leaves

¼ cup (10 g) coriander leaves (cilantro)

1 tablespoon Fried Garlic (page 37)

1 Whisk together the chili paste, fish sauce and lime juice in a small bowl and set aside.

2 Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Swirl the oil in the skillet to coat the entire surface, and keep heating the skillet until very hot and the oil begins to smoke. Stir-fry the onion and ginger until the onion become translucent, about 30 seconds.

3 Toss in the duck and snow peas and stir-fry until the duck is warmed through and the peas brighten in color.

4 Stir in the chili paste mixture until everything is coated well.

5 Gently mix in the mango, mint, and coriander leaves and then transfer to a serving platter.

6 Sprinkle with the Fried Garlic.

Coriander Beef

The citrusy pine-like aroma of freshly roasted coriander seeds is unmatched and that’s why you should take a few minutes to toast the whole seeds and crush them specifically for this recipe. Another technique to achieve the best results is to bring the meat to room temperature before stir-frying. This makes just enough for four persons, but you can double the recipe by cooking it in two batches for a larger gathering.

Serves 4
 Preparation time: 10 mins
 Cooking time: 5 mins

½ lb (250 g) beef, (flank, strip loin, round or sirloin), cut into thin strips

2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

2 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon Thai palm sugar or light brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons oil (divided use)

¼ cup (35 g) sliced onions

1 cup (40 g) fresh shiitake mushrooms, stem removed, cut into bite-sized halves or quarters

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2–4 red finger-length chilies, cut into bitesized strips

½ cup (20 g) roughly chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

1 Toss the beef with the ground coriander, oyster sauce, sugar, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the oil, then marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for longer. Marinating beef overnight always improves the flavor and tenderization.

2 Get organized to stir-fry by bringing the meat to room temperature and organizing all the items in the order that they will go in the skillet, this allows you to add things quickly!

3 Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Swirl the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet to coat the entire surface, and keep heating the skillet until it is very hot and the oil begins to smoke.

4 Stir-fry the beef until it is 50% cooked, about 30 seconds. Add the onions and mushrooms and continue to stir-fry until the onions become translucent, about 1 minute.

5 Stir in the fish sauce, chilies, and coriander leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning with fish sauce and/or salt. Spoon onto a serving platter.