Duck Breast with Pickled Carrots & Plum Sauce

Duck Breast over basmati rice, paired with julienne style pickled carrots, shredded red cabbage, edamame beans, topped with fresh coriander and plum sauce – what’s not to love!? Not only is this dish beautiful to look at, it’s also full of flavor, texture and easy to make! I loved making this meal for many reasons, (number one being the flavor pairings of both sweet and savory, which we all know I love) – but it’s also nostalgic. Growing up in South Africa, we had a grocery store that sold a similar ‘ready meal’ along these lines, and it suddenly popped into my head a few days ago. After doing some digging on the internet to remember what ingredients were included, I recreated the dish and love how it turned out!

Notes

This duck breast with pickled carrot and plum sauce is delicious, simple to make, and worth the prep – the prep being the pickled carrots! Everything else is easy.

Pickled Carrots – I made the pickled carrots about 3 days prior before eating, and it’s a very straight forward process. I followed a recipe I found on pinterest, which consisted of vinegar, water, honey, salt, grated ginger, plus the carrots. There are multiple recipes out there, so just pick one that works for you! If you don’t get round to pickling, it’s no big deal, you can just julienne the carrots as they are.

Plum Sauce – As much as I’d love be the person who has the time/foresight to make a plum sauce from scratch, it’s simply not the case right now! For this dish, I chose convenience and purchased a store bought version from the Asian isle in my supermarket.. and it does the job. Sometimes these ready made sauces can taste quite synthetic, but once you add all the extra ingredients in the recipe, it becomes less ‘store bought’ which is a win.

Duck – it’s really important to cook duck breast differently from other cuts of meat – it must start off in a cool pan. Cooking duck breast in a cool pan is key to properly rendering its thick layer of fat, which gradually melts as the pan heats up. This slow process not only prevents the skin from burning but also creates a beautifully crisp texture while keeping the meat tender and flavorful. The rendered fat can be used to enhance other dishes, adding a rich depth of flavor. Unlike chicken or beef, which have much thinner fat layers and can be started in a hot pan, duck requires this gentler approach to balance its richness and achieve that perfect contrast between golden, crispy skin and juicy meat. I like to finish it off in the oven, so follow the recipe instructions below!

Adaptations – if you’d like to adapt this to a vegetarian/vegan version, why not try it with tofu? You can follow the tofu instructions in my ‘Asian Tofu Bowl’ below to substitute the duck! And if you don’t like duck but do eat meat – this recipe will work well with beef or pork.

What You’ll Need

• 2 x duck breasts (about 1 – 1.5lb)
• large handful shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup cooked edamame beans
• 2 portions cooked basmati rice
• small handful fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 cup pickled carrots (see notes)
• sesame seeds (optional)

Sauce

• 1/3 cup plum sauce (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp chinese 5 spice
• 1 thumbnail peeled/grated ginger
• 1/4 lime juice
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp hot water

Duck Breast with Pickled Carrot & Plum Sauce

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Sheena
• Total Time: 45
• Yield: 2 1x

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Description

Duck Breast over basmati rice, paired with julienne style pickled carrots, shredded red cabbage, edamame beans, topped with fresh cilantro and plum sauce

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 x duck breasts (about 1 – 1.5lb)
• large handful shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup cooked edamame beans
• 2 portions cooked basmati rice
• small handful fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 cup pickled carrots (see notes)
• sesame seeds (optional)

Sauce

• 1/3 cup plum sauce (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp chinese 5 spice
• 1 thumbnail peeled/grated ginger
• 1/4 lime juice
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp hot water

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Instructions

1. If needed, cook your rice according to packet instructions and set a timer so it can cook in the background – once cooked, set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 400 deg F. Prepare your duck by patting any excess liquid dry with a paper towel, then season your with plenty of salt on both sides, and set aside (your duck should have been resting out the fridge for at least 30 min prior to cooking – see notes).
3. Place an oven proof pan over a medium/high heat, and place the duck onto the pan skin side down, while the pan is still cold. Fry for 8-9 minutes until golden brown, then flip and fry for a further 4-5 minutes, sealing in the flavor. Finish off in the oven for 7-8 minutes, then remove from the pan and let it rest for 8-10 minutes. The duck should be bouncy to the touch and pink inside.
4. While step 2 is in the background cooking (use a timer, it’s easier) – prepare your vegetables. Chop your cabbage, drain your pickled carrots, and cook your edamame beans for 2-3 mins over a high heat in boiling water.
5. At the point you take your duck out the oven and set it aside to rest under some aluminum, you can make your sauce. In the same pan your duck was in, add your grated ginger and chinese 5 spice. Let this simmer for 2-3 mins (the pan will be hot from the oven so be careful), then add all your remaining sauce ingredients and stir thoroughly. This will blend with all the juice/fat from the duck, adding extra flavor.
6. In shallow bowls, dish the rice, cabbage, edamame, and carrots, topping with the sliced duck breast and delicious sauce from the pan. Top with fresh cilantro and sesame seeds.. and feel free to add some chili flakes, enjoy!

• Category: Lunch/Dinner
• Method: Stovetop / Oven
• Cuisine: Asian