Duck and Shiitake Pho Recipe

Duck and Shiitake Pho Recipe

4 duck legs or duck confit

1 teaspoon ground star anise

3cm fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

a good pinch salt (unless using

  duck confit)

For the pickled radish:

8cm white radish root,

  sliced or grated

salt

150ml rice vinegar

1 tablespoon castor sugar

1 chili, sliced

For the soup (shiitake pho):

1 liter light chicken stock

3cm fresh ginger, peeled and

  thickly sliced

2 whole cloves garlic

3 whole star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon whole dried shrimp

  or 1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 bunch scallions, trimmed

16 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms,

  soaked and trimmed

250g pack of dried thread or ribbon rice

  noodles, cooked according to pack

  instructions and thoroughly rinsed in cold water

handful of celery leaves (optional)

  coriander, basil or mint leaves

handful baby pink oyster mushrooms (optional)

lime, quartered

Method:

The duck can be prepared in advance and re-roasted in a hot oven just before it is needed.  Rub the duck legs with a little salt, star anise and ginger and fry in a pan for 5-10 minutes until brown.  Enough fat should exude from the skin for them to fry in the pan.  Add the fish sauce and sugar, coat the legs in the mixture, and reduce to a sticky glaze.  Heat the oven to 200°C and roast the duck for 45 minutes before serving.  If using duck confit, roast for 15 minutes.  For the pickle, sprinkle the sliced or grated white radish with salt.  Leave for 20 minutes, then squeeze out excess water.  Mix together the remaining ingredients, then stir in the radish.  Leave to macerate for as long as possible before using.  For the soup, put the first six ingredients and half the bunch of scallions in a pan, bring to the boil then simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.  Strain and discard the flavorings.  Reheat the flavored stock with the shiitake mushrooms just before serving.  To serve, put a mound of noodles in each bowl, add some chopped scallions, celery leaves and/or herb leaves and pour over the hot stock.  Divide the mushrooms between the bowls along with the roasted duck legs, some pink oyster mushrooms (if required), and serve with the pickled white radish.  Eat with chopsticks, spoons and fingers.