Portuguese Duck Rice

I was eating meh duck rice the other day, then remembered the whole duck I had in the freezer. I wanted to try making my own duck rice at home, so I started looking around for (Chinese-style) recipes, only to stumble upon this interesting Portuguese version. The ingredients and steps were quite simple, so I decided to give it a try.⁣

Trimming the duck yielded quite a decent amount of skin and fat, which I rendered for used when sauteeing the onions. Mmm. I also used my pressure cooker to speed up making the stock. I used to be able to find good Fogal chicken chorizo from Village Grocer, but I surprisingly couldn’t find any at B.I.G. (technically owned by the same company), so I had to settle for some other spicy sausage.

Overall the flavor was wonderful, the rice was super fluffy with crispy bits at the top, and the sausages provided bursts of heat and spiciness. The only complaint I got was there was too much duck compared to the rice, so here I’ve written the recipe with the rice increased to 2 cups instead of 1 1/2. Yum!⁣

Ingredients

1 (2-kg) whole duck, trimmed and jointed, carcass cut into large chunks
1 small bunch cilantro (daun ketumbar), plus more for garnish
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 star anise (bunga lawang)
1 leek, green parts twisted in a knot, white parts reserved for the rice
1 onion, halved
1 carrot, quartered
1 large orange, zested and juiced

For the rice

2 tablespoons duck fat OR olive oil
Reserved white part of the leek, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove
2 cups long grain basmathi rice, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
100 grams smoked chorizo sausage, or any spicy sausage, cubed

Directions

In a large pot or your pressure cooker pot, add the duck and the reserved carcass, and enough cold water to cover. Add the cilantro, bay leaves, thyme, star anise, green leek tops, onion, carrot, orange zest, and a few sprinkles of ground black pepper.

If using a pressure cooker, transfer the pot to your pressure cooker and cook, using the Chicken/Duck setting or equivalent, 20 minutes. If not using a pressure cooker, bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and simmer on medium low, occasionally skimming off any scum from the surface, 60 minutes.

Release the pressure from the pot and unlock the lid. Let the duck cool in the stock, 15 minutes. Drain the stock from the duck and reserve for cooking the rice.

Using a pair (or two) of tongs, shred the duck meat away from the bone.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan 160 degrees C).

Make the rice. In a large wok over medium high heat, add the fat or oil.

Add the leek, onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the rice and cook, stirring gently , until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes.

Add 3 to 3 1/2 cups of the reserved duck stock, and 2 teaspoons salt. The best way to tell if you’ve added the right amount of liquid is to ensure the liquid level is about 1 inch above the rice.