Duck Curry Recipe - Thai Red Curry Recipe | Hank Shaw (2024)

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4.89 from 17 votes

By Hank Shaw

February 18, 2013 | Updated December 21, 2021

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One of my favorite recipes in my cookbook Duck, Duck, Goose: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Waterfowl, Both Farmed and Wild is a Thai green duck curry. This red duck curry is an alternate version, one that’s every bit as popular in Thailand.

Duck Curry Recipe - Thai Red Curry Recipe | Hank Shaw (2)

I consider myself a pretty good cook, but whenever I venture outside my comfort zone I try to seek out people who know more about the food than I do. In this case, my friend Jax Phongsavath’s mom. Jax is as American as I am, but her mom is from Thailand.

Nervously, I ran my green duck curry past her. I was overjoyed to get the “Thai Mom Seal of Approval” for that recipe. Only thing Jax said to me was that her mom usually made Thai red curry with duck.

So here it is: Red duck curry with a Thai mom’s seal of approval. Hope you like it!

The highlights of this curry are, other than the duck, that great warm-rich feeling you get when you combine coconut milk and chiles, and the sweet-tart high notes of the pineapple chunks. If you hate fish sauce, you can skip it, but Jax’s mother will be sad. I prefer Three Crabs brand fish sauce, but Red Boat is also good.

Serve this with white steamed rice and a crisp beer, or an off-dry white wine such as a Gewurztraminer. Once you make this recipe, you can reheat it as leftovers for a few days.

A word on the curry paste. The store-bought ones are very good, especially if you can find Mae Ploy. But if you want to make your own Thai red curry paste, this is a pretty good recipe.

If you’re looking for something Asian, but a little different to make with your duck legs, try my Sriracha Honey Lime Duck Legs instead. And this Thai green curry works well with duck, too.

4.89 from 17 votes

Thai Red Curry Duck

You can make this dish with any wild or domestic duck or goose, and you can use either skin-on or skinless breast meat. I used skinless breast meat here. If you want to use skin-on, sear the skin side of the duck breast until it's crispy and set aside; don't cook the meat side. Follow the recipe as written from there. Most of the ingredients here are available at any major supermarket, and those that might be hard to find I've listed as optional. But each one adds to the authentic Thai flavor, so try to get them if you can. The curry paste is the most vital: If you can't find it in your market, you can buy red curry paste online.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: 4 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (optional, white parts only)
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly top to root
  • 2 to 6 small hot chiles, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
  • 1 13- ounce can coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
  • 1 pound diced, peeled potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (palm sugar if you can get it)
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks
  • 1 pound duck or goose breasts, sliced thin
  • Lime juice to taste
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • Heat the peanut oil in a wok or a heavy saute pan over high heat. The moment it smokes, add the lemongrass, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the onion and chiles stir-fry another minute or two, then mix in the curry paste. Stir-fry the curry paste until it begins to separate a little, about 2 minutes.

  • Pour in the coconut milk and stir well to combine. Fill up the coconut milk can with water and pour that in, too. Add the fish sauce and the potatoes and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

  • When the potatoes are just about tender, add the pineapple chunks and the sugar. Add salt or more fish sauce to taste. Cook the pineapple for a minute or two before adding in the sliced duck breast.

  • The duck breast will release some juice in a minute or two. When it does, stir the curry well and add the cilantro and lime juice to taste. Turn off the heat and serve immediately over white rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 801mg | Potassium: 1284mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 2545IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 11mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Asian, Ducks and Geese, Featured, Recipe, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Duck Curry Recipe - Thai Red Curry Recipe | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between red curry and Thai curry? ›

Traditionally, all Thai curries were made with the same ingredients except for one thing: the chillies. Red curry was made with several red chillies for a fiery hot dish, while green curry was made with green chillies, and yellow curry was made with yellow chillies.

What is duck curry made of? ›

Marinate duck pieces with the marinade for at least 30 minutes. Add mustard seeds and when it starts to splutter, add sliced shallots, curry leaves, dried red chilli, chopped ginger, garlic and saute for couple of minutes.

How many carbs are in duck curry? ›

Cook Thai Main Red Thai Duck Curry (1 serving) contains 29g total carbs, 29g net carbs, 26g fat, 28g protein, and 460 calories.

Which is nicer red or green Thai curry? ›

Green Curry: How They're Different. While the dish's spiciness can vary based on the chef, typically, red curry is hotter than green. Red curry tends to be more versatile, while green is more unique in its flavors.

Which Thai curry is healthiest? ›

People love green curry because of the gentle balance of heat, sweet, and acid from the chiles, lime, and fresh herbs. Green curry is great with chicken and shrimp because it offers a punch of seasoning to the protein. The long list of herbs also makes green curry one of the healthiest Thai cuisine dishes.

Is duck curry good for health? ›

Duck meat is an excellent source of protein. Protein keeps us healthy by building and repairing our muscles, skin and blood. Duck meat is an excellent source of iron, providing 50% of the iron we need in a day. Iron helps make healthy blood that flows through our bodies, giving us energy and making us grow.

Is curry duck healthy? ›

Duck meat is extremely flavorful. It's an excellent source of protein and healthy fat as well as micronutrients including selenium, iron, and niacin.

Is duck used in Thai cooking? ›

In Thailand red curry is often made with duck, and it works so well – the rich fattiness of the duck pairs surprisingly well with the equally rich but creamy coconut milk, the bite of chilli, the exotic fragrance of lemon grass and galangal.

Is duck OK on keto? ›

Duck meat is perfect for those who have adopted a keto lifestyle, as it has high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids without any carbohydrates.

Can I eat curry on a low carb diet? ›

Most Indian curries are keto-friendly. They have a healthy combination of vegetables, paneer, tofu, and lean meat, like chicken. If curry doesn't fall under this umbrella, you can always replace unhealthy ingredients with better options like yogurt.

Is curry good for low carb diet? ›

Curry, at its base, is not high in carbohydrates, but one should always read their labels before making a selection that could throw off their keto macros. Most curry is composed of turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and chilies (either fresh or dried).

Is duck red meat high cholesterol? ›

Duck and goose are both higher in cholesterol than chicken and turkey. One cup of cooked duck or goose -- even with the skin removed -- has about 128 milligrams of cholesterol. The same portion of chicken has only 113 milligrams of cholesterol, and turkey is an even better choice at 93 milligrams.

Is duck healthy red meat? ›

Duck meat's rich flavor and color provides a red meat eating experience with the health benefits of poultry. Duck meat is rich in iron and protein like beef but is leaner and has fewer calories like its poultry counterparts. Plus, duck fat is healthier with less saturated fat and more omega-3 fat than beef.

Is duck red meat cholesterol? ›

Duck meat has the same cholesterol level as red meat.

Lastly, it bears repeating that red meat is generally known for high cholesterol. And sadly, duck is one of the types of poultry that has this characteristic.

Which is hotter red yellow or green Thai curry? ›

Although all three colors may be spicy-hot depending on the chef, normally green is the mildest and red the hottest with yellow falling somewhere in between.

Which curry is least spicy? ›

In general, Thai yellow curry is the mildest, Thai red curry is medium-hot and Thai green curry is spicy, although it can sometimes vary depending on what region of Thailand you are in.

Is red curry sweet or spicy? ›

Red Curry. This type of curry is moderately spiced and one of the most versatile. Red curry is made with several red chilies, which gives it a bold and spicy flavor. Ingredients for the curry base include coriander, cumin, red bell pepper, red chile, lemongrass, and ginger.

Is panang curry and red curry the same? ›

While it has similar ingredients, Panang curry is a bit stronger, richer, sweeter and thicker than Red Curry, as well as slightly nutty thanks to the addition of ground peanuts in the paste.

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