Duck Curry
Duck curry is a rich, flavorful dish that combines tender pieces of duck with a spiced, creamy curry sauce—often made using coconut milk and red curry paste. The duck’s slightly gamey flavor pairs beautifully with the creaminess of the sauce and the freshness of vegetables like capsicum (bell peppers), carrots, green beans, and eggplant.It’s a popular dish in Thai cuisine (known as Gaeng Ped Yang), but versions exist in other Asian and fusion cuisines too. The balance of savory, sweet, and mildly spicy flavors makes it a real comfort food.
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Ingredients
Duck
- 600–700 g duck breast or boneless duck leg meat, trimmed and sliced, about 1.3 to 1.5 pounds.
- 2 tbsp red curry paste store-bought or homemade
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk shake well before use
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 1 cup eggplant chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 small red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced
- 1 small carrot sliced thinly
- 1 cup green beans trimmed and halved
- 1 tbsp fish sauce or light soy sauce for a milder flavor
- 1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- ½ cup Thai basil leaves optional but highly recommended
- 1–2 kaffir lime leaves torn, optional
- ½ lime juice, optional, for balance
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the duck pieces but keep a little for flavor.
- If using duck breast, score the skin lightly.
- Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat.
- Add the duck (skin side down if applicable) and sear until golden and some fat is rendered, about 3–5 minutes per side.
- Remove the duck and set aside; drain excess fat if needed, keeping about 1 tbsp in the pan.
- Add oil (if needed) to the pan and stir in the red curry paste.
- Cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in half the coconut milk, stirring until the paste and milk blend smoothly.
- Add the duck back into the pan along with the remaining coconut milk.
- Stir in fish sauce, sugar, and kaffir lime leaves (if using).
- Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, until the duck is tender.
- Add eggplant, carrots, and green beans first; cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add capsicum last for a softer crunch; cook another 2–3 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning with more fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice to taste.
- Stir in Thai basil leaves just before serving.
Disclaimer
Some parts or all of recipe maybe AI-generated. Recipe pictures are examples of recipe and represent no affiliation with photographer.
Nutrition
Calories: 225kcal (11%)Carbohydrates: 8g (3%)Protein: 31g (62%)Fat: 7g (11%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 116mg (39%)Sodium: 453mg (20%)Potassium: 617mg (18%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 4286IU (86%)Vitamin C: 41mg (50%)Calcium: 42mg (4%)Iron: 8mg (44%)
Disclaimer
Nutritional information for this recipe is an approximation and is not to be construed as medical advice.
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Nice to see a proper Gaeng Ped Yang instead of the usual chicken version — duck’s richness really does stand up to red curry paste in a way chicken doesn’t. Two things I’d add from experience: rendering the breast skin-side down first (as in step 4) is the key step, because that duck fat is what you want frying the paste in step 6, not neutral oil. And the 10–15 min simmer is spot on for breast, but if anyone swaps in boneless leg meat, give it closer to 25–30 or it stays chewy. Kaffir lime and Thai basil listed as “optional” is generous — they’re what make it taste Thai. Bookmarked.