My love for kimchi soup, a typical Korean stew-like preparation, came to my aid when I was trying to create something exciting, yet comforting. I had been experimenting with fermented foods and pickles and, inspired by kimchi soup, I settled on this kimchi broth. It was great – wonderfully rich, flavoured, and full of spice. I decided to serve it with a rich gamey meat. The duck breast with a hint of Hoisin sauce on it creates a sweet ending on the palate after the senses have been opened up by the piquant, umami-rich kimchi broth.

Ingredients

For Duck

  • 2 duck breasts
  • 2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
  • Salt to taste

For Kimchi

  • (Best made 1-5 days ahead)
  • 4 spring onions, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
  • 1 large Napa (Chinese) cabbage
  • 5 tbsp Gochujang paste (made by cooking dried red chillies in water with a dash of vinegar)
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
  • 1 tbsp garlic, grated
  • 1 tsp ginger, peeled and grated
  • Sea salt
  • Water

To Serve

  • 100 ml chicken stock
  • 20 gm butter
  • Spring onions
  • Salt to taste

Preparation

For The Duck

  1. Begin by making gentle gashes on the skin of duck breasts, ensuring they are not deep. Season with salt.
  2. Place the duck breast on a cast iron pan – it’s important to not preheat the pan. Place the pan on flame and cook duck gently, skin side down, for 6 minutes.
  3. The fat under the skin gets rendered and the duck cooks in its own fat. Flip once the skin is nicely browned.
  4. Smear a tablespoon of Hoisin sauce on each breast and pop it into the oven. Cook at 180° Celsius for 10 minutes for rare (preferred serving). Cook for additional 3-4 minutes for medium.

For Kimchi

  1. Cut cabbage into large squares. Wash and spin dry or place on a towel to dry.
  2. Season with salt and leave in a colander for 1 hour.
  3. Wash cabbage and yet again allow it to dry.
  4. Make a paste with Gochujang, garlic, ginger, fish sauce.
  5. Add paste and spring onions to the cabbage mix, blend thoroughly, place in an airtight jar, and refrigerate.

To Serve

  1. In a deep pan, put in 4 tbsp kimchi, along with chicken stock. Season with salt and add butter to finish.
  2. Slice the duck breast and place over.
  3. Garnish with a few spring onions.
Written by

Viraf Patel

Viraf Patel, one of India’s most exciting young chefs, is Scroll Food’s Chef of the Month for July. His culinary adventures, which began fairly early in life, have taken him from Zur Rossweid in Zurich to some of the finest dining establishments in India. Over a career spanning 20 years, he has worked at, or consulted with, Indigo, The Table, The Tasting Room, Salt Water Grill, among other places. He was the Chef-Partner at Café Zoe, before joining Olive Bar & Kitchen in Mumbai as the Executive Chef. His food philosophy is rooted in his belief in truly honest cooking. With a deep knowledge of ingredients and applications, he works to make recipes relevant to our age.

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