Thai Duck Rolls Recipes

Steps:

• For the filling: Preheat a 14-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sprinkle the ground duck with salt and pepper, then add to the heated pan. Allow the ground duck to brown all over, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, green cabbage, onions and mushrooms to the same pan. Cook the vegetables down until most of the liquid is removed and the cabbage is a light brown color, about 10 minutes. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and fold in the basil, cilantro and mint. Pour the filling onto a sheet tray and allow to cool for 5 minutes at room temp, then refrigerate until completely cool.
• Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.
• Place 2 sheets spring roll pastry on a work surface on top of each other with a pointed end facing you. Place 1/3 cup filling in the middle of the spring roll pastry sheet. Dip 1 finger in a small bowl of water and run along the edge of the spring roll pastry sheet. Fold in the sides to meet in the middle over the filling. Fold up the bottom point over the filling, then tuck to tighten the roll and roll the wrapper towards the top point. Place seal-side down on your work surface, then cover with a damp towel and repeat the process until all the springs rolls and filling are gone. Fry, in batches, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on a wire rack-lined sheet tray.
• For the nuoc mam: Add the water, sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, chile flakes, garlic and serranos in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
• When cool enough to handle, cut each fried spring roll wrapper into thirds on the diagonal with a serrated knife. Build a platter of lettuce cups, bean sprouts, Fresno, peanuts, lime wedges, Thai basil leaves, cilantro leaves and mint leaves. Serve with the nuoc mam.

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Broil duck breasts until skin is crisp and meat is pink, about 5 minutes a side. Allow to rest, then slice diagonally. Alternatively, pan-fry breasts until just pink in center. Slice, and set aside.
• With a fine microplane grater, grate zest of oranges, and set aside. In a wide saucepan, combine creamy top of coconut milk with curry paste. Place over medium-low heat, and whisk to make a smooth paste. Add rest of can of coconut milk, chicken broth, kaffir lime leaves and cardamom.
• If using eggplants, add them to pan with duck pieces. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until eggplants are tender, about 15 minutes. Add bamboo shoots, fish sauce and orange zest. Cut one orange into peeled segments. Cut each segment in two, discarding any seeds, and add to curry. Juice remaining orange, and add juice to curry. If using sugar snaps, add them to curry, and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Pour mixture into bowls, garnish, and serve.

Steps:

• The duckHeat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the honey and five-spice in a bowl, then brush all over the duck. Transfer to a roasting tin and roast for 25-30 mins until bronzed. Cool for 10 mins, then shred the meat and finely slice the skin.
• Plum sauceWhile the duck is cooking, put all the plum sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently over a medium heat for 15 mins or until the plums are soft and the sauce is thick. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth.
• PancakesWhile the sauce is cooking, put the flour, 125ml boiling water and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix together until it forms a dough. When cool enough to handle, knead for 5-10 mins. Divide it into 10 little balls and roll each one out as thin as you can. Brush a frying pan with the oil and cook each pancake over a medium heat for 20 secs each side or until cooked but not browned.
• To serveSpread a pancake with a little plum sauce. Top with the shredded duck, a few pieces of cucumber and spring onion.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Before you get the kids cooking, put the noodles, vegetables, prawns and chicken in individual bowls for everyone to help themselves. Get everyone to wash their hands and put aprons on. Sit the kids down and give them their own mixing bowl and spoon. Let them choose which ingredients they want (noodles are essential) in their rolls and if they want to graze as they choose, that's fine - all the ingredients are cooked or can be eaten raw. Add a bit of garlic and ginger, a tiny dash of soy and sprinkling of five-spice to each bowl and let them mix everything together.
• Push the bowl aside and lay a sheet of pastry in front of each child. Ask them to spoon the filling down one side of each sheet, then give them the beaten egg and a brush so they can brush around the edges. Help them to roll the pastry up neatly by folding both sides over the filling, then rolling them up.
• Lift the spring rolls onto a baking tray, seam-side down, brush with a little more egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if you like. Try to remember which child made which roll to save any arguments at the end! Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden.
• While the rolls are in the oven, make the dipping sauce. Get the kids to mix all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved. When the spring rolls are golden and crisp, remove from the oven. Leave until cool enough to handle, cut into pieces for smaller kids, then let them eat, dipping the rolls into the sauce.