VIETNAMESE DUCK BREAST WITH NOODLES

This beautiful duck salad has got it all going on – crunch, spice, juicy fruit and tasty crispy duck   It is simply delicious, and incredibly simple to make.

INGREDIENTS. Serves 2
2 duck breasts
Sea salt

FOR THE SALAD

200g rice noodles
4 spring onions, finely sliced into rings
1 ripe mango, diced approx 1cm
1 finely diced red pepper
Small sprig of coriander, leaves removed
Small sprig of mint, leaves removed

FOR THE DRESSING

3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Juice of 2 limes, plus a few lime wedges to garnish
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil

METHOD

Pre-heat an oven to 220°C.

To prepare the dressing combine and mix all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

To prepare the salad combine and mix all of the salad ingredients, minus the noodles, lime wedges and coriander, in a bowl and set aside.

Then cook the noodles (as per the packet instructions), before plunging into cold water and draining and set aside.

Score the skin on the duck breasts six to eight times with a sharp knife and season on both sides with sea salt.
Place the duck breasts skin-side down in a pan on a low to medium heat (no oil) and cook for about 6 minutes or until the skin is golden and crisp. Turn the breasts over and quickly seal.

After pouring off any excess fat put the duck in a roasting tray skin-side down and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 10 minutes for rare adjust the tine depending on how you like your duck.

Remove the duck from the oven and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.

To Serve. Set aside two tablespoons of dressing for garnishing later.

Place the duck breasts and their juices into the remaining dressing and mix and keep  aside for five minutes before removing the breasts from the dressing and placing them on a chopping board.

Take the drained noodles and toss them with a little oil and lightly season, add the noodles to the dressing add the salad and mix well before dividing onto serving plates.

Finely slice the duck and place on top of the salad. Drizzle the remaining dressing on top and garnish with lime wedges and coriander.

Original Recipe Gressingham