I absolutely love Asian flavours which was what prompted me to start growing my own pak choy, a really easy-to-grow Asian vegetable. Here I’ve tossed it with green beans in a fantastic Japanese sesame dressing, which is nutty, aromatic and full of flavour. The duck is roasted in the oven, coated in a dark soy-sauce marinade, sprinkled with a little five-spice powder and then popped under the grill to crisp up the skin.
Serves 4
4 duck breasts
6 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
4 teaspoons of five spice powder
For the salad:
200g of green beans
4 x baby pak choy quartered
50g of toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. In a roasting tin, whisk together 4 tablespoons of honey, soy sauce and garlic. Toss the duck in the marinade, turn skin side up and sprinkle with the five-spice powder.
Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Baste the duck with the juices halfway through the cooking period. When the duck is cooked, preheat the grill to high. Then, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of honey and place the tray under the hot grill for 1-2 minutes to caramelise and crisp the skin.
Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into thin slices and serving with a drizzle of the juices. While the duck is cooking, whizz together the sesame seeds, honey, soy sauce, rice wine and sunflower oil until smooth. Top and tail the green beans and blanch in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes.
Remove and drop in ice-cold water. Drain and place in a bowl with the pak choy. Pour in the dressing and toss until combined. Serve the duck with the pak choy salad alongside.