Szechuan duck breast with basmati rice and vegetables

This is a recipe tried by me a long time ago when this blog was just an idea, so I don’t have pictures for all steps.

All in all, this is an easy to do recipe; the looks is spectacular and it tastes great.

The only thing that takes a little bit of time is the meat that has to be marinated before using. Best advise is to put the meat into the marinade the day before you prepare this dish… this way the meat will be soft, tender and very flavored.

So, for 3 servings you will need:

  • 1 duck breast;
  • 1 red pepper;
  • 2 medium red onions;
  • 1 medium carrot;
  • 1 fresh zucchini;
  • about 200gr mushrooms;
  • about 200-250gr basmatti rice;
  • a little corn starch;
  • 6 cloves of garlic;
  • Szechuan pepper;
  • salt & black pepper;
  • soya sauce;
  • hot chilly sauce;
  • a splash of  balsamic vinegar;
  • olive oil, sesame oil or peanut oil for frying.

Remember to put the duck breast into marinade, the night before cooking it!

First rinse the duck breast with water, dry it with a napkin, then slice it into very thin stripes. Prepare the marinade into a bowl by mixing together 1tbs of oil (any kind I’ve mentioned), 2 crushed garlic cloves, black pepper to taste, 5 tbs soya sauce, 1ts Szechuan pepper freshly grounded , 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar and half of red onion “julienne” cut. !! Add salt only if your soya sauce is not salted!!!

Put the breast duck into the marinade sauce, mix well, cover the bowl and put it into the refrigerator.

Cut the vegetables into thin slices (julienne) and put them aside.

Preheat your wok pan, and put about 4 tbs of oil in it.

Get the breast stripes out from the marinade sauce, dry them a little using paper…then coat it with corn starch. Put 2 garlic cloves crushed into the pan ( just for a few seconds to release all the flavor) then add  the meat and fry it until golden brown. Add soya sauce an chilly sauce to taste . Remember you have to do this at a very intense heat!! When it’s done, set the breast stripes aside ( keep them warm).

In the same wok pan add 2 tbs of oil (or more if necessary) and fry your vegetables at a very intense heat for only few minutes. They have to stay ” al dente”.

Start with the garlic let it for about 10 seconds, add the onion, then the carrot, the mushrooms and save for last the zucchini. Add black pepper and soya sauce to taste. At the end they should look like this:

Your vegetables should look like this
Your vegetables should look like this

Separately, in a pot, put the water to boil… for the rice.

Remember the proportions: 2 parts water 1 part rice… it is very important. When the water starts boiling add a sprinkle of salt and the the rice. Reduce the heat and let it boil for 8 to 10 minutes. Put it aside and let it to rest a little bit until it absorbs all the water.

Tip: If you have to boil water don’t add the salt before the water reaches the boiling point. If you add it before the water will reach the boiling point, it will boil much harder.

Now, for the presentation get a warm large plate, put the vegetables in the middle – like in the picture below:

Veggies on a glass plate
Veggies on a glass plate

 Add the duck breast stripes around the vegetables.

Arrange the meat around the vegetables...
Arrange the meat around the vegetables...

And finally…the rice.

Final presentation...
Final presentation...
A close up pic...
A close up pic...

I assure you it tastes delicious! The Szechuan pepper adds a unique taste!

Bon Appétit!