This dish is a Vietnamese-inspired approach to “Canard a l’Orange”, made with succulent duck legs cooked in a spicy braising liquid comprised of chicken stock, freshly-squeezed citrus juices, Thai bird’s eye chiles, and lemongrass.
Vietnamese Citrus-Braised Duck Legs with Lemongrass
This dish is a Vietnamese-inspired approach to “Canard a l’Orange”, made with succulent duck legs cooked in a spicy braising liquid comprised of chicken stock, freshly-squeezed citrus juices, Thai bird’s eye chiles, and lemongrass.
Ingredients
- 8 duck legs
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ small red onion, small dice
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 cups of freshly-squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup lime juice
- 16oz chicken stock
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 3 Tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground Chinese five-spice power
- 4 whole star anise
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 Thai bird’s eye chiles, finely sliced
- 5 stalks of lemongrass, pounded hard with the back of a heavy knife
- 2 Tbsp cilantro stems
- 2 bunches scallions, green ends removed, remaining sections sliced thinly on a bias
- 2 Tbsp tapioca starch, or corn starch
- 3 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- 1 tsp fish sauce, for serving
- 1 fresh lime, cut into wedges, for serving
- 1 fresh orange, cut into slices, for garnish
Instructions
- Salt the duck legs and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- In a large soup pot, heat vegetable oil on medium heat and add red onion.
- Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the duck legs, orange juice, lime juice, chicken stock, fish sauce, palm sugar, Chinese five-spice powder, star anise, whole cloves, black pepper, cinnamon stick, Thai bird’s eye chiles, and lemongrass.
- Stir to combine all ingredients.
- Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.
- Braise for roughly three hours, or until the meat is fork tender and falling off the bone.
- Add the cilantro stems and 90% of the sliced scallions and continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Reserve the remaining 10% of the sliced scallions for garnish when serving.
- Remove the duck legs from the braising liquid and reserve on a plate.
- Mix the tapioca or corn starch with the water and whisk this starch slurry into the simmering braising liquid until your liquid has achieved the desired sauce consistency.
- Serve the duck legs on a plate, covered with the braising liquid sauce.
- Serve with white rice and extra braising liquid on the side.
- Garnish plates with fresh cilantro leaves, fresh sliced scallions, a dash of fish sauce, freshly-squeezed lime, and fresh orange slices.
Notes
Pounding the lemongrass with the back of a heavy knife helps release some of the intrinsic flavors and aromatics from the hearty lemongrass stalks into the braising liquid.
