East Meets West Duck

I'm not a big fan of fusion food - unless it's really expertly done, it veers more towards being CONfusion food. In a smart restaurant in Vancouver I was once given Moroccan spicy lamb tagine with a side of stir fried mange tout, peppers and water chestnuts, complete with soy and sesame. It didn't work and was an experience I wouldn't care to repeat (neither was the moment when a mouse ran across the table, but that's by-the-by)

I had some lovely duck breasts in the fridge but despite it being Chinese New Year I wasn't in the mood to cook a full-on Chinese meal, so I decided to cook the duck plainly and serve it meat-and-two-veg style but with rice instead of potatoes, and a  stir fry in place of the two veg.

It was delicious, and I thought I'd share the stir fry recipe with you. You will need

1 red onion
½ head Chinese leaves, finely shredded
75 g raw cashew nuts, dry-fried until just starting to colour
1 large clove garlic
1cm x 3cm piece of fresh ginger, shredded
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I like to use Chinese peanut oil when I can get it)
dash of sesame oil
1 teaspoon Shao Hsing wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons plum sauce

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and stir fry the onion and ginger for 2-3 minutes. Add the cabbage and garlic and continue stir frying until the cabbage has wilted.

Tip in the wine and when the steam subsides, stir in all the remaining ingredients, mix well and allow to bubble for a minute until  heated through.

Serve with steamed rice and your choice of meat - I used duck breasts that had been started off in a a frying pan then finished in the oven, but a chicken breast or pork chop would work equally well.