Chinese Spiced Duck Breast with Greens in Noodle Broth

This is such a yummy, warming meal for a cold winters night post duck shooting! My hubby wasn’t too keen on the weird numbing sensation Szechuan pepper has on your mouth, so it’s optional. As for the greens, be super relaxed about these, whatever you have in the fridge/freezer will do. Frozen pack mixed vege would even do, but of course... fresh is best.

Ingredients

Duck breasts – trimmed (1 per person)

Chinese Five Spice
Szechuan Pepper (optional)
Fresh or Minced Ginger
Fresh or Minced Garlic
Fresh or Minced Chilli
Soy sauce
Beef (or chicken) stock
Honey
Hokkien or Udon Noodles (1 slab per person)
Bok Choi/Spinach/Silver beet/broccoli (Any leafy green)
Green Beans
Red Pepper
Spring Onions (sliced in rings)
Salt & Pepper
Oil (Peanut/Olive/any cooking oil)
Lemon or Lime juice
Fresh coriander and bean sprouts to garnish

Large bowls to serve

Method

Trim your duck breasts of any dodgy bits (pellet or dog bruise).

Put a medium pot of water on to boil with stock cube (or 1 t-spoon of powder), frying pan on med-high heat.

Pound your Szechuan pepper in the mortar & pestle (or in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin or other heavy round object – bottle of beer/wine/bourbon?).

Put a pinch of Szechuan pepper, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, garlic (1/2 t-spoon, more or less depending how your garlic tolerance is) ½ t-spoon of ginger, ¼ t-spoon of chilli (more or less), 1 t-spoon of honey and a handful of sliced spring onion in the bottom of each of your serving bowls.

Sprinkle the breasts with salt and pepper, Chinese five spice and the remaining Szechuan pepper. Drizzle the meat with olive oil and rub all the spices in.

Put duck breasts in frying pan to cook, if you’re lucky to have skin left on, skin side first, approx 3 mins each side for med/rare. Then wrap in tin foil and set aside.

Put noodles into boiling water, with your leafy greens, green beans, sliced red pepper. Allow to boil for a couple of minutes.

Divide noodles and greens into each serving bowl, use tongs to toss through the ingredients at the bottom of each bowl then pour over a good amount of the broth.

Slice duck breasts on the angle into 1cm strips, and divide over your noodle and greens in broth.

Sprinkle with coriander leaves and/or bean sprouts to garnish. Squeeze over lemon or lime juice.

Present with pride to your lucky dinner guest/s.