Duck and leek hotpot recipe

Details

• Cuisine: Japanese
• Recipe Type: Main
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Step-by-step

1. Pat the duck breasts dry with kitchen paper. Sprinkle the ground sansho, if using, lightly but evenly over the skin and rub it in using your fingers.
2. Heat the oil in a small donabe or small heavy-based, deep-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear the duck, skin side down, for 2-3 minutes, or until the skin is evenly golden. Remove the duck from the pan and blot with kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.
3. Place the breasts skin side down on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, cut them into slices 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Set aside.
4. Drain the duck fat from the pan and discard - there should just be a thin film on the bottom of the pan. Place the pan back over medium-high heat and brown the leeks for 30 seconds, then remove them from the pan and set aside.
5. Add the dashi, sake, mirin and shoyu to the pan and bring to the boil. Return the leeks to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
6. Quickly lay the duck slices in a single layer over the leeks and cook for 30 seconds, using chopsticks to gently push any duck that is still pink after that time briefly into the liquid. (If using a frying pan you can swirl the pan a little to assist even cooking.) Be careful not to overcook the duck - it should still be slightly pink in the centre and tender.
7. Serve in the donabe, or in small individual dishes.