How to Make Vietnamese Stir-Fried Duck with Lemongrass and Chili
Stir-Fried Duck with Lemongrass and Chili is a flavorful dish that is hard to pass up. The duck has crispy edges with a tender, juicy interior, richly flavored with a spicy kick from the chili and a fragrant touch of lemongrass.
Ingredients
- 500g boneless duck meat
- 4-5 stalks lemongrass
- 2 red chili peppers
- 1 bird’s eye chili
- 3-4 shallots
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- 1 ginger root
- 2-3 stalks green onions, rice paddy herb, and Vietnamese coriander
- Coarse salt, rice wine
- A pinch of chili powder (optional)
- Seasonings: Oyster sauce, fish sauce, MSG, seasoning powder, ground pepper, annatto oil (optional), sugar
Ingredient Notes
Besides lemongrass and chili, you can also add bell peppers to make the dish lighter and more refreshing, according to your taste.
Instructions
Prepare the duck
After plucking the duck, remove the tail and head, as these parts tend to accumulate dirt and impurities. The duck offal can be set aside and prepared separately for dishes like stir-fried duck offal with gourd or kohlrabi.
To remove the gamey smell, rub the duck with a mixture of coarse salt, rice wine, and crushed ginger, thoroughly scrubbing both the inside and outside of the duck. Rinse well and let the duck drain.
For a quick, delicious, and crispy stir-fry, Cookbeo recommends deboning the duck and using just the meat for stir-frying. The bones can be used to make broth, for example, for duck congee.
After deboning, cut the duck meat into bite-sized pieces. If using bone-in meat, cut into small pieces for faster cooking and better flavor absorption.
Marinate the duck with 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground pepper.
Prepare other ingredients
Peel off the tough outer layers of the lemongrass, rinse, and smash the lemongrass heads before chopping finely. Cut the stalks of the lemongrass into long diagonal slices.
Rinse and slice the red chili into diagonal slices.
Rinse and finely chop the fresh chili.
Clean and finely chop the green onions, rice paddy herb, and Vietnamese coriander.
Peel and mince the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Add a bit of the minced shallots, garlic, and ginger to the duck marinade for extra fragrance.
Cook stir-fried duck with lemongrass and chili
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan, and sauté the minced shallots, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass until fragrant.
Add the duck meat and stir-fry over high heat to crisp the skin while keeping the meat tender and juicy inside.
When the duck is seared and crispy, season with oyster sauce, MSG, a bit of sugar, and fish sauce. Cookbeo suggests seasoning with 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar if you prefer a slight sweetness.
Once the duck is seasoned, add the lemongrass slices, red chili, and chopped fresh chili. Stir-fry for an additional 30 seconds.
Finally, add the green onions, Vietnamese coriander, and rice paddy herb. Sprinkle with ground pepper, stir quickly for 5 seconds, then turn off the heat.
Final Product Requirements
Not only a regular savory dish, but it's also a favorite for men when drinking.
