We all know and love our rendang curries, particularly beef rendang cooked slow in the traditional style or quick. Whether it is chicken rendang, beef rendang, or mutton rendang; the tasty Indonesian curry dish is renowned across Asia for its intense burst of flavour and tender falling-off-the-bone meats. But if you thought that rendang couldn’t get any more flavourful, home cook Nellie Bok is here to prove you wrong with her mouth-watering recipe for Duck Rendang!

Duck Rendang
Although chicken is a more preferred meat choice over duck, duck meat is undeniably more flavourful than chicken. Duck fat has a distinctively unique flavour which enhances the traditional fragrance and flavours of the traditional rendang that are absorbed into the meat over the long cooking process. This makes the meat both extremely tender and delicious! Hence, this is one of the best rendang recipes ever that is sure to wow your family and friends!

An unique dish that is a must try!
The first step to cooking the duck rendang is to marinate the duck meat.
Add salt and turmeric powder to the duck and coat the pieces evenly. Set aside.

Mix well to evenly coat the duck meat with marinade
Next, blend shallots, garlic, chilli boh, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garam masala, meat curry powder, and water to make the rendang paste. After blending, set the paste aside.

Add all the rendang paste ingredients into a blender

Blend until smooth
Heat up a frying pan and on low heat, pan fry the duck meat skin side down until the duck fat has almost melted. Remove the duck meat from the pan and set aside. Do not discard the duck fat in the pan.

Pan fry the duck meat skin side down
In a clean pan, add 4 tablespoons of duck fat, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. #Tip: you may also use normal cooking oil but using duck fat will give the rendang a more in-depth flavour.

Using duck fat makes the rendang more flavourful!
Stir fry the spices until fragrant then add the blended rendang paste. Stir continuously until the oil separates from the paste.

Stir fry the rendang paste

Cook until the paste dries as the oil separates from it
Next, add the duck meat into the pot mix well. Add the kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaves, kerisik and give it a good mix.

Add kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaves, and kerisik. Mix well.
Pour in the coconut water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes with the lid on.

Add coconut water to the rendang paste and bring to a boil

Simmer the rendang for 15 minutes
Once the 15 minutes is up, add in 400ml of boiling eater and simmer the curry for 45 minutes. #Tip: test the softness of the duck meat with a chopstick. The meat should be tender by now but if you prefer softer meat, simmer the rendang for another 10 minutes.

Add boiling water to the rendang

Simmer the rendang for another 45 minutes
Add in salt, brown sugar, chicken powder, tamarind juice, and coconut milk and mix well. Give the rendang a taste test here to adjust the seasoning to your preference. When satisfied, simmer the rendang for another 10 minutes and turn off the heat.

Add in salt, brown sugar, chicken powder, tamarind juice, and coconut milk.

Mix well and simmer for another 10 minutes
Serve with rice or bread and enjoy your delicious Duck Rendang!

Enjoy the delicious Duck Rendang!
Get the recipe below!
- 1/2 duck cut into large equal pieces
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp chili boh or chili paste
- 10 g galangal cut into small pieces
- 1 thumb sized fresh turmeric cut into small pieces
- 4 stalks lemongrass cut into small pieces
- 200 ml water
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp meat curry powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chicken powder
- 2 tbsp thick coconut milk
- 4 tbsp duck fat from cooking duck or cooking oil
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 star anise
- 5-6 cloves
- 1 cinnamom stick break into small pieces
- 4-5 kaffir lime leaves tear into halves
- 1 piece fresh turmeric leaf finely sliced
- 1 tbsp tamarind juice assam paste mixed with water
- 400 ml coconut water
- 50 g kerisik
- Marinate the duck legs with salt and turmeric powder and set aside.
- Blend all the rendang ingredients together to make a paste.
- Put the duck meat into a pan with the skin on the pan surface and over low heat fry until the duck fat has almost melted. Set the duck on a plate and set aside. #Tip: save the duck fat to use to fry the spices in the next step for more flavour.
- In a pot, add in 4 tbsp duck fat or cooking oil, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and cloves and fry for a few seconds till fragrant, then add in the rendang paste and cook until the oil separates.
- Transfer the duck meat into the pot and add in the kaffir lime leaves, tumeric leaves, kerisik and give it an even mix.
- Pour in the coconut water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 mins with the lid on.
- After 15 mins add in 400 ml boiling water and simmer the curry for 45 mins. When the 45 mins is up, test the softness of the duck meat by poking a chopstick into the meat, it should be tender by this time but if you prefer softer meat, then cook for another 10 mins.
- Add in seasoning, tamarind juice, taste and adjust. Add in the coconut milk, bring to a boil and turn off the heat.
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