Stuffed duck breast'The sauce is a version of korma and can be used with any other meat, fish, poultry or vegetables. The word pasanda represents the stuffing and relates to any form of stuffing. Badami stands for "with or of almonds".'
This recipe requires ginger and garlic paste which is very easy to make. Simply blend together equal quantities of garlic and fresh ginger with a little oil and water until a smooth purée is formed.
This paste can be kept in the fridge for up to six months in an airtight jar.
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 medium-sized duck breasts
For the stuffing
- 150g ricotta or paneer
- 6–8 whole almonds, sliced or coarsely chopped
- 6–8 Brazil nuts, sliced or coarsely chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 10–15 sultanas
- Generous pinch of cardamom powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- A few threads saffron (a small pinch will give you the desired number of threads)
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¾ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 100g ground almonds
- 100g cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 2.5cm piece cinnamon
- 3–4 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 2 peppercorns
- 1 mace flower broken into two
- 1–2 bay leaves
Method
- Blend all the stuffing ingredients together, season to taste and set aside in the refrigerator to keep firm.
- Trim some of the skin and fat from the duck breasts but do not remove it all. With a thin, sharp knife, slit the duck breasts through the middle and carefully open them out, taking care not to pierce the meat or separate it completely. With gentle, short strokes the meat should separate fairly easily and cleanly. Open the duck breasts out and lay them out in a row.
- Spoon equal quantities of the stuffing on to one edge of each of the open duck breasts, fold the edge over the stuffing and roll up until you have a sausage. Once rolled, wrap each duck breast in a piece of aluminium foil or greaseproof paper. Place them in a large pan or iron casserole deep enough to fit them all. Pour over enough hot or boiling water to cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Leave the duck breasts to cool in the liquid. When cold, skim off any fat and retain the stock for the sauce.
- To cook the sauce, heat the oil in a large pan or iron casserole. Add the onions and sauté for 5–6 minutes or until opaque. Add the ginger and garlic paste and all the spices and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Next add the ground almonds and cashews and sauté for 4–5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spatula but do not allow to burn. Add about 250ml of the reserved stock and stir. If the mixture gets too thick, add some more. Boil gently for 15 minutes or until the onions and cashew nuts are cooked. If the sauce thickens too much add a little more stock. Cool the sauce and purée in the blender. Reheat the sauce and bring to a slow boil stirring regularly.
- Heat the oil for the tempering and fry the spices. When they are browned and swollen put them into the sauce, stir well and season to taste. To serve, remove the duck breasts from the foil, clean the sides with kitchen paper and place them in the hot sauce. Continue to heat the sauce very gently until the duck breasts are thoroughly reheated. Slice the duck breasts and serve on a platter with the sauce poured on top. Garnish with some extra slivers of Brazil nuts.
Good source of Allium vegetables and selenium. Source of vitamin E.
Per portion: 584 kcal, 39.2g fat, 7.6g saturated fat.
Extracted from: Healthy Eating: The Prostate Care Cookbook by Margaret Rayman, Kay Dilley and Kay Gibbons (Kyle Cathie, £12.99) with photography by Will Heap.
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