Adventures of Katsudon

V has been hankering for another taste of this dish since he first tried it some 2 years ago in a Thai restaurant in Newtown, Sydney. He goes on and on about how good it is! Surprise surprise, wannabe chefs, this is child’s play to make! Do try this at home…

First you have to get hold of some good quality Chinese roast duck. Half a duck is plenty. In Melbourne you can try the famous Pacific House in Richmond or South Yarra. We actually got our duck from a very busy roasting house in Springvale, somewhere in the main shopping center… Make sure they chop the duck into pieces for you. It’s also quite good to get the duck the day before and put it in the fridge. The next day all the duck fat has coagulated and is easy to remove from the meat. For those who are feeling a bit health conscious laa!

Then you need some good quality Thai red curry paste. We got some that came in a small can and unfortunately I can’t remember the brand, but it started with M. We have tried the Volcom brand too and that’s not bad. Just don’t go for an Australian brand like Asia at home or something like that - Just no kick in it, strictly for kwi low tastes only laaa! So, stick to something from good old South East Asia. Well, this latest curry paste we got certainly packed a punch!! woohh!

Other ingredients:

400ml coconut milk
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
brown sugar to taste
vegetables as desired (potatoes and eggplant are good)

Heat some oil in a wok and fry the garlic and spring onion and curry paste (About 2 tbsp depending on your tastebuds) until fragrant. Watch out, the curry paste tends to spit!!

Add the coconut milk, lime leaves and the vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are slightly underdone. This takes about 20 minutes with cubed potatoes. Add brown sugar to taste (I added about 2 tsp I think). You may also need to add more liquid - chicken stock or milk is fine.

Add the duck pieces and bring to the boil again then simmer gently until the duck is heated throughout. Don’t rush this part - underheated poultry makes for bad gastro. Add the coriander leaves in the last few minutes.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice, of course, topped with more freshly chopped coriander.

Yumm!! Will last for days and is even better the next day. Definitely deserves a five katsudon rating.