Seared Mallard duck breasts with sesame tamarind sauce

This could claim to be one of The Cinnamon Club’s signature dishes. With the game season beginning, here I would suggest the dish to be prepared with Mallard duck breasts; Mallard is the largest and most common of the wild ducks, and the meat is deeply rich and full of flavour.

Serves 4

4 mallard breasts, skin on
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. vegetable or corn oil
1 tsp. red chilli powder

For the tempering:
100ml/3.5oz. vegetable or corn oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. black onion seeds
10 curry leaves

For the sauce:
1 large onion boiled in little water and made into paste
1 tbsp. cashew nuts
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tbsp. desiccated coconuts
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. fenugreek seeds
2 tsp. red chilli powder
50g tamarind pulp, soaked in warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. jaggery or sugar
150ml duck stock or water

Marinate the mallard breasts with salt, about 1 tablespoon oil and red chilli powder. Heat the remaining oil in a pan, sear the duck skin side up first, turn and finish it pink in the oven.

Now make the sauce; dry roast all the seeds, roast the coconut and fry the cashews till golden. Blend them into a fine paste adding water. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, add the ingredients for tempering, mustard seeds first, then the onion paste and cook until it thickens. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric, tamarind and simmer. Pour in the nuts and seed paste and cook until the oil separates, stirring continuously. Season with the salt and jaggery. Take care to constantly stir the mixture for the sauce as it has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan because of the nuts. If at stages it becomes too thick to handle, keep adding duck stock or water to adjust the consistency.

Divide the sauce in 4 serving plates, neatly slice the mallard breasts, place them on top of the sauce and serve with pilau rice.