Confit is a fantastic method of preparing duck, and funnily enough is only something I’ve started doing at home just recently. The method of preparation is disarmingly simple – cook the duck slowly in its own fat till the meat falls off the bone, with minimal effort on my part – my kind of cooking! But of course, I’m not content to leave a classic alone…here’s my take on the classic version with a spiced duck confit that draws on nuances from Vietnam.
However, before the stones start flying, just hear me out…
The idea was sparked when I stared looking into some recipes for pho, the classic Vietnamese beef noodle soup and undisputed poster child of Vietnamese cuisine. But one thing I suppose I had never fully appreciated were the influences that French colonialism had left on Vietnamese food – coffee, banh mi etc. are just some of the more obvious ones, but the relevant piece of information that I’ve come across into a few times is the proposed theory behind the evolution of the name “pho” – that it is a corruption of the French pot-au-feu. Whether or not that is indeed true, perhaps we’ll never know for sure, but I do know with great certainty that it’s pretty darn tasty.
So in a further attempt to marry the quintessential elements of the French and Vietnamese, I give you…Pho Duck Confit. Ta da!
In my defence, I believe it does work – it is a fusion of the more gentle kind, rather than the one involving smashing things together like atoms until it all gets a bit messy.
The recipe follows the typical French preparation of salting (or dry brining) the duck together with ground spices overnight, then submerging it in duck fat and popping it in the over on a low heat for a few hours till meltingly soft.
I’ve attempted this two ways so far – firstly with whole spices with the duck in a liquid brine, and secondly with ground spices and salt in the manner of a dry rub. Both work well in their own way – the liquid brining is just a bit messier, but you don’t have to deal with bits of spice at the end of cooking if that might put you off… I’ve opted for a 2% brine by weight of duck, as I don’t like it too salty, but that can be adjusted from anywhere between 1 – 5% according to your preference.
And an extra bonus? Plenty of aromatic duck fat to use for roasting potatoes, or just pop it in the fridge to use for your next batch of confit. When you’re done cooking the duck, strain the fat through a layer of paper towel to keep out any bits and you’re done.
The duck can then be used as you like – here I’ve shredded the duck and used it to top a salad of watercress, orange and red onion, with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, sesame seeds and a good dose of Vietnamese dipping sauce, nuoc cham. I’ve also previously used it as the filling in rice paper rolls too, which works nicely.
The cooking method takes it’s cue from this Gourmet Traveller Recipe, and I’ve used Luke Nguyen’s combination of the pho spices as reproduced on InsideCuisine.
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 star anise
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamon pods
- 1 black cardamon pod (Optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 duck legs (about 500g in total)
- 250- 350 grams duck fat (see notes)
- Gently crush the cardamon pods to remove the seeds. In a dry pan, toast the cardamon seeds together with the star anise, cloves and fennel seeds till fragrant and slightly toasted. Let cool slightly, then grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder till fine. Mix together with the already-ground spices and salt.
- Take salt and spice mix and rub all over the duck, making sure it's all completely covered. Cover the duck and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours, preferably 24hrs.
- Preheat the oven to 120°C/ 250°F. Remove the duck from the fridge and brush off any excess salt rub. Place the duck legs in an ovenproof dish that will fit the duck legs snugly. In a separate pan, warm the duck fat until it turns liquid, then pour over the duck legs. Place the duck in the oven and let cook for about 3 hours until the duck pulls away from the bone easily.
- Remove the duck legs from the oven, carefully take them out of the fat and let them cool slightly. While the duck legs are cooling, turn the oven up to 220°C/ 430°F. When the oven is hot, place the duck legs on a roasting pan or dish and roast for 15-20 minutes until the skin browns and crisps up.
- If you prefer to prepare the duck ahead of time, you can cook the duck and leave it cool in the pan with the cooking fat and store it in the fridge before you're ready for the roasting stage.
- Serve the duck legs whole with accompaniments, or shred to use for salad, rolls, sandwiches or the like.
Duck fat - You will need enough duck fat to cover the duck legs completely, but this will depend on the size of your roasting container, so you might need a little more if there's more space around the meat.
Once the duck has finished cooking, you'll find that there are some juices that collect in the bottom of the pan, which don't cook away because of the oil. You can let the whole thing cool and solidify to help separate the two more easily. Discard or taste it and see if you want to use it for anything else.