Le Caprice crispy duck and watercress salad recipe

I initially put this on the Le Caprice menu with crispy pork and sales were steady, but something told me it should have been crispy duck. The change was an instant success.

Timings

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves

4 as a starter

Ingredients

• 2 large duck legs
• 30g root ginger, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• vegetable or corn oil, for deep-frying

For the duck sauce

• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• juice of ½ orange
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil

For the soy and sesame dressing

• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
• a small piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the salad

• 4 bunches of watercress, thick stalks removed
• 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced into fine matchsticks
• 60g beansprouts
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced finely on the angle
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• a few sprigs of coriander (optional)

Method

1. Put the duck legs in a large saucepan and cover with water. 
2. Add the ginger, garlic, spices and 2 tsp salt, and simmer for an hour.
3. Remove the duck from the stock and set aside to cool (you can use the stock another time).
4. Whisk together the ingredients for the duck sauce and season. 
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the ingredients for the dressing and season.
6. Remove the duck meat from the bones and cut into 1cm-thick slices.
7. Preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a deep-fat fryer or a large thick-bottomed saucepan.
8. Meanwhile, arrange the watercress on four plates with the carrot, beansprouts and spring onion.
9. Fry the duck slices until crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. 
10. Mix with the duck sauce until nicely coated, then arrange in piles on the salad. Spoon around the soy and sesame dressing.
11. Scatter with sesame seeds and coriander sprigs, if using, then serve immediately.