The rich flavour of duck is greatly enhanced hy a host of pungent roots,
herbs and seasonings in this dish, which is invariably a great favourite
with visitors to Bali. The Balinese have great admiration for the duck
and consider it to be a particularly strong animal as it is, like the
turtle, the only one able to survive on land as well as water. ###
1
whole duck, about 2 kg (41/2 lb)
18 shallots, peeled, cut in half and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled, halved and sliced
3 stalks lemon grass, finely sliced
5 fragrant lime leaves, finely sliced
6 candlenuts, chopped
5 cm (2 in) ginger, peeled and chopped
8 cm (3 in) fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped
8 cm (3 in) kencur root, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
5 bird's-eye chillies, sliced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste, roasted and coarsely crushed
1,5 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons oil banana leaves, greaseproof paper or aluminium foil
for wrapping
Wipe the
duck dry and set aside. Combine all the remaining ingredients, except
banana leaves, in a bowl and mix well. Rub the duck outside with this
mixture and fill the centre of the duck with the re- mainder. Close
the openings of the duck with satay skewer. Wrap in several layers of
banana leaves, greaseproof paper or foil and steam for 50 minutes. Transfer
duck to a moderate oven and bake at 180 ° C (350 °F) for 30 minutes.
Remove banana leaves, cut duck meat up in small pieces and serve with
stuffing. When cooked, the meat should be so tender that it falls off
the bones.
Helpful
hints : The flavour of this excellent duck will be even better
if the final roasting is done over a slow charcoal fire rather than
in the oven; be sure to turn the duck several times if cooking over
charcoal.
