Spicy Vanilla Duck Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 Heilala Vanilla Bean or 1 teaspoon Heilala Vanilla Powder
• 2 tsp mild curry powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 duck legs
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil or similar
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash, about 2cm dice
• 400g can tomatoes, drained and cut into pieces
• 500ml hot chicken or vegetable stock

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160⁰C.
2. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, then cut the bean into 2cm pieces.
3. Combine the vanilla seeds and curry powder and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Rub mixture into the duck legs. Heat a frying pan over a low heat, add the oil, onions and garlic. Cook gently for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Place in a casserole dish. Increase the heat and brown the duck legs on both sides. Transfer to the casserole dish.
5. Add the diced butternut, tomatoes, hot stock and vanilla bean pieces. Place in the oven and cook for 2 hours until the meat starts to pull away from the bone. Remove the lid from the casserole dish, ½ an hour before the end of cooking to reduce the sauce or make a butter and flour paste and whisk into the hot sauce at the end of cooking.