This is a very simple recipe that is quick and easy to do and tastes wonderful. I love duck and cook it all the time, whilst I have made duck with friut sauces and Asian sauces and they are wonderful. Sometimes I think you can overcomplicate recipes and they are tasty, but they are time consuming with lots of steps and sometimes simple is the best way to go.

Ingredients

4 Duck breasts
1-11/2 Teaspoons five spice powder (depending on the size of breasts.)
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
5 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Star anise
4 Bunches Gai lan
2 Bok choy
200ml Water
1 Teaspoon chicken stock
1-2 Tablespoons honey, depending on personal taste
6 Green onions, sliced 2cm long
11/2 Teaspoons cornflour

Method

1. Cut diagonal slits in the skin being careful not to go all the way through to the flesh. (not to far apart as these will be the size of slices, you will slice the duck when finished.) Rub five spice over breasts.

2. Heat a pan and add duck skin side down cook for 8-10 min’s to crisp up skin and render fat. Place breasts on a wire rack in an oven proof dish. Cook in pre-heated oven 180ºC for about 25 Min’s, or until cooked as desired.

3. Remove duck from oven, allow to rest for about 5 minutes then slice along slits.

4. While the duck is cooking cut the ends off of the bok choy and trim gai lan, in a large pan or wok, add soy, garlic, star anise and gai lan stir-fry a few minutes.

5. Add water, bok choy, chicken stock and sugar stir-fry a few minutes more and then add onions and cook about a minute more remove vegetables to warm serving plates. Mix a little water with the cornflour and add to sauce, thicken slightly. (sauce will not be too thick it is not ment to be.) If not using a wok you will probably have to cook the vegetables longer as regular pans do not get as hot as woks.

To Serve: Arrange vegetables on a plate, top with duck breast and drizzle sauce around plate. Decorate with some star anise if desired.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.