ingredients
directions
For the duck: Score the skin side of the duck to help render the fat as you sear it. On a flat plate or container, spread out a thin layer of chili powder and add a tablespoon of salt, roughly mixing it throughout. Lay the skin side of the breast down on the chili and gently coat the entire skin side.
Lay the breast skin side down in a smoking hot pan or skillet and sear at high heat (the chili smoke will be irritating to your eyes and lungs so don’t linger over the pan or breath too deeply) until the entire skin side is deep caramel brown, crispy and a lot of the fat has melted out.
Flip the breast over and either turn down the heat to a low simmer or place the whole pan in a warm oven – essentially the heat of the pan will finish cooking the breast to a nice medium rare. Slice very thin.
For the sprouts: Sauté the finely chopped ½ onion in some oil or butter and toss with a ½ teaspoon of powdered or crushed cumin seeds. Then add the sprouts and quickly toss to coat with the onion and cumin scented hot oil. Add in the chicken stock, the parsley and season to taste with salt. Turn off the heat and pile the hot (but not heavily cooked) sprouts in a line down the centre of a platter.
For a simple Raita: This adds a refreshing balance to the dark flavours of the seared breast and some relief from the spice – just add a ¼ teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and a tablespoon of finely chopped skinned and seeded cucumber to 250 ml of yogurt and season with salt.
To put it all together: Place the sliced duck over the top of the piled sprouts and place your favourite blanched and seasoned green vegetable around the periphery. Put about a tablespoon of the yogurt mixture in between each pile of greens around the outside and spoon 2 or 3 ounces of warm jus over the top of the duck breast (this is very much optional but certainly helps) and top the whole platter with whole or roughly chopped cashews.