Excusez-Moi, C’est Canard Au Curry Rouge?
As mentioned in Saturday’s post, my lunch was graciously prepared by Mrs. Lana Graham. She is originally from Thailand and had studied in the UK. While abroad on a student’s budget, she had no choice but to learn cooking via telephone from her mother and sister (who then owned a restaurant in Thailand). Today, she is an accomplished home chef, whipping up authentic Thai cuisine whenever her banker husband entertains. When Lana participated in her daughter’s international school’s food festival, somebody shouted, “Go to booth number 7, they have out of this world Pad Thai!!!” And like bees to honey, her delicious contribution was sold out in no time!

Guru Lana, asking if I’m ready to take a lesson on Thai Red Curry with French Duck Breasts.
Hmmm… sounds delicious already, doesn’t it?
So why is the title of this blog in French when obviously this is Thai cuisine? Pardon my French if they were used wrongly. Well, that’s because Missy Duckie was imported from France for about S$30 per kilogram (breast meat). And who said the French doesn’t eat anything non-French? A French blogger posted this “Qui se laissera tenter par un petit canard quasiment confit dans une sauce à l’ananas pimentée juste à point, aux saveurs riches de curry rouge et aux effluves incroyables de basilic thaï ? Et bien… Moi! Et toute ma petite famille qui s’est régalée de ce plat délicieux!”
Below are the galleries for cooking the Duck in Thai Red Curry: (Click on the first picture of each gallery for step by step cooking instructions. Enjoy 🙂
Part 1: Get Your Duck Ready Not Rubbery!
Part 2: It’s Time For The Duck To Swim.

Part 3: All Aboard!
The final countdown… Tada!

The sweet smile on her face says it all… Thai hospitality is indisputable!
Have you ever seen any well heeled cook without breaking a sweat?

Lana said Thais are accustomed to eating brown rice. The bleached white rice were meant for export.
So today, I shall eat like a healthy Thai 😀

A bowl of robust and intense flavours perfumed by Thai basil. The duck was tender, not gamey as I feared, and the mouthfeel was a delicate chew. I tasted the sweetness of the juicy pineapple and a slight hint of palm sugar. The tangy not sour tomatoes did not fight for attention from the citrusy kaffir lime leaves. In fact, they were in perfect harmony. The aubergines is something else! I usually like mine soft and mushy but Lana changed my mind with this dish.
Lana believes in buying and serving her guests fresh foods. Just before I was done with Zaza, Lana had errands to run. Her husband was entertaining that night and Lana did not want to do her shopping way beforehand. Although Lana is a full time homemaker, the roles (no typo here, it’s role ending with a capital S) she play are equally important and demanding. She multitasks efficiently and helps out as often as she can in charitable projects. She did not hesistate when I asked if she was willing to share this lovely curry recipe on my blog. I believe she would have given me her Pad Thai recipe too but I was indolent after a hearty meal 😀

Lana chose Tang Hoon over Kway Teow as a special treat for me.
Using her own homemade Pad Thai Sauce recipe, cooked with chopped sweet radish and served with banana flowers and scallions, the authentic way to eat Pad Thai. My first go at banana flowers – crunchy yet tender. I can get spoilt and be accustomed to it. But most restaurants do not serve this dish with banana flowers as they are expensive.
Due to Lana’s easy-going nature, I had a very comfortable time working with her on this “project”. Thank you, Ms Lana, for hosting me and the sharing of your delicious recipe!
Duck Red Curry Recipe (serves a lot!)
Ingredients:
3 Fresh meaty Duck Breasts.
1 litre packaged Coconut Cream.
75g Red Curry Paste.
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce.
1 tablespoon Palm Sugar (optional and/or to taste).
1 small bowl of Baby Tomatoes.
1 small bowl of Fresh very ripe and soft Pineapple, cut into small pieces.
1 small bowl of Thai Eggplants, cut into small pieces.
1 big bunch of Kaffir Limes Leaves.
1 big bunch of Thai Basil.
Salt, for sprinkling on duck when pan-frying.
Method – See Photo Galleries Part 1 & Part 2.
Happy mingling 🙂
P.S. Red Curry แกงเผ็ด is a popular Thai dish consisting of curry paste to which coconut milk is added. The ingredients (garlic, shallots, dried chillies, galangal, shrimp paste, salt, kaffir lime peel, coriander root, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and lemongrass), are pounded in a mortar and pestle and the end result is a wet paste.
*Chope is colloqualism for placing a caveat.
Lwarning cooking by telephone is like when I ring my mum and say something like: quick question, can I keep wonton skins in the fridge for a few days? What beautiful looking food. Am jealous about the talented gourmandizer 😉
gourmandizer – a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess. In one word “glutton”, lol… I’m going to Johor for food trail later in the morning. More food! Looks like I should really get up at 5am daily for my morning walks.
Yes, I want to be that glutton too 🙂
Welcome to the club, lol…
🙂
And it all looks so delicious!
taste delicious too. Thai food can be on the sweet side so if you do cook please adjust to your taste 😉
Learning to cook be telephone from one’s mother – well, I have to admit, that’s how I learnt some of her signature dishes.
so what’s your signature dish, Michael? 😉
Peanut butter and tomato sandwiches 😉
(my signature dish used to be mutton curry made without water – just the juice of the meat, with rice steamed in chicken broth. Also middle eastern vine leaf rolls cooked in mutton bones. but many years ago I decided cooking was a time luxury I could not afford. So I no longer cook)
peanut butter and tomato (separately or together?) sounds interesting if together.
you are the first person to ever understand! yes, peanut butter and tomato, or sometimes peanut butter and cucumber. the acid of the tomato offsets the oiliness of the peanut butter. with real fresh bread.
I must try it!
So proud of my friend
So proud of both of you, Sunisa! Saw your video post? Click here https://bondingtool.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/fruit-vegetable-carving-by-zaza/