Canard Confit made easy

How to make duck confit when you're not in a country like France (like when you're in Malaysia)

After some trials and errors, it occurred to me that making duck confit without the main ingredient- duck fat, is possible. To a certain degree, the result is 'less' imposing but the taste never runs far from the real thing. The key is not to use a blended oil as often, they contain either peanut or sesame oil that cause the duck to loose its special aroma from the duck fat itself.

Ingredients:

1 whole duck

1 kg coarse sea salt

5 liter plain cooking oil (like palm olein)

thyme

5 cloves of garlic

Wash and clean the duck. Pat dry and set aside in a baking tray. Smash the garlic cloves and mix them with the herbs and salt. Smear and cover the whole duck with the salt and leave in a cool place (or inside a fridge) for a few hours or overnight.

When ready, shake off all salt on the duck and wipe clean with kitchen towels. Do not wash the duck at this point.

In a deep pot, place the duck first and then submerge it with the oil. Cook this (lid covered) slowly on very low fire until just at boiling point but NEVER continue at boiling point as it will cause the duck to 'fry'. Simmer the duck until the flesh starts to come off easily from the bones when prodded with the end of a chopstick or fork.

Serve the duck confit pan fried in its oil with mashed potatoes. Better still, if you have new potatoes, boil them first and then pan fry with oil from the duck. Accompany with a tangy fresh salad like rocket and Batavia in a simple vinaigrette dressing.