Serves 4
For the duck
- 4 duck legs
- 1.5l chicken stock (a good quality stock cube is fine)
- Sunflower oil for deep frying
- Tempura flour to coat (use corn flour if you can’t find tempura) (available at specialist oriental shops or online)
For the duck marinade
- 2 star anise
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 50g (approx. 5cm) ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ small bunch coriander (use the stalks for the marinade and save the leaves for the salad)
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 100ml light soya sauce
For the sauce
- 50g (approx. 5cm) ginger, peeled
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 6 lime leaves
- 150ml mirin
- 100ml hoisin
- 150ml light soy sauce
- 150ml maltose (available in specialist food shops and online)
- 80g runny honey
- 1 tbsp corn flour to thicken (use more if necessary – the sauce should coat the back of a spoon)
For the salad
- 100g watercress, washed and spun dry
- 200g watermelon flesh, cut into bite size chunks
- 6 spring onions, peeled, trimmed and quartered lengthways
- ½ small bunch coriander (you’ve used the stalks for the marinade!)
- 20g sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- 100g unsalted cashews