This is a worthy feast with a bit of a celebratory note to it. The duck is marinated in a honey masala mixture and then baked to perfection. The rice is braised in butter, and the stew is packed full of sweet carrots, bell peppers and the rich roasting stock from the duck to tie it all together. It’s s great meal to make concurrently because you can make both the rice and the sauce while the duck is roasting. The end result is utterly delightful. Super savoury with a few mysterious notes. If you are tired of regular tomato stews, or have a glut of carrots, this is one to try. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the duck:

2 whole ducks

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp sea salt

2 tbsp honey

Method

1. Place two whole ducks breast side up on a baking tray, foil lined if you wish. 
2. Using a sharp knife, score the skin on the breast lightly in diagonals.
3. Mix the garam masala, honey and salt together in a small bowl to form a paste. Rub the paste onto the breasts of the ducks.
4. Put the ducks in a pre-heated oven and bake at 190*C or Gas Mark 5 or 375*C until the duck is cooked through. This will depend on the weight of your bird, but usually about 2 ½ hours to get crispy skin and moist meat. 
5. As the duck cooks, baste it from time to time in its own juices, and then gather the juices to use as duck for the stew. It adds a really rich flavour. 

 

For the Paradise Stew:

1 kg carrots (can be raw or boiled)

3 red onions

1 large green bell pepper

1 large yellow bell pepper

8 cloves garlic

1 thumb length ginger

1 scotch bonnet pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

About 1 cup duck stock plus any more there is (taken from the baking duck)

1 cup water to supplement the stock if not enough.

 

Method

1. In the food processor, blitz the onions, green pepper, yellow pepper, scotch bonnet, ginger, and garlic until finely chopped. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Now blitz the carrots the same way. Set aside.
3. Heat up the olive oil in a pot, and add the onion and pepper mix. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Stir fry in the pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes, and then add the carrots. 
5. Mix in well and add whatever stock you have gathered from the duck and continue to do so periodically until the stew is cooked (about 35 minutes). If your ducks are small and don’t give off much stock, you can use chicken stock or water. 
6. You can time the making of the stew for the last hour that the duck is in the oven so they will be ready and piping hot at the same time!

 

For the rice:

4 cups black or mixed wild rice

8 cups water

50g unsalted butter

Method

1. Melt the butter in the bottom of a pot. 
2. Once it is bubbling, add the rice and braise it in the butter until well coated.
3. Add the water to the pot, cover, and cook on low heat until the rice is tender and the water is all absorbed. Some wild rice varieties are tougher than others, so you may need to add a small splash more water to extend the cooking time, but be careful not to be too anxious to do this too as you could end up with soggy rice!

 

 

This recipe is from Season 1 Episode 13 of Minjiba Entertains, commissioned by The Africa Channel and showing on RealTime DSTV Channel 155, Emirates in-Flight Entertainment, Amazon Prime, and Demand Africa.