I love the richness and gaminess of duck. It has a reputation for being luxurious and hard to cook, but it’s not really. The method here is what we used when I was head chef at Pearl, Geoff Lindsay’s restaurant in Richmond, Melbourne. Geoff and Martin Boetz, who I worked with at Longrain, have been two of my biggest influences.
Similar to Peking duck, the skin is marinated in sugar, which helps it caramelise nicely in the oven. And the roasting tin is filled with coconut milk and whatever aromatic scraps you have on hand, such as makrut lime leaves, ginger, lemongrass and Thai basil. It’s a bit like a bouquet garni.
Once the duck is cooked, this coconut milk can be reused in the curry itself. The flavour from the duck and the aromatics really take it to the next level.
This is my favourite curry sauce to make and eat, and it’s been on the menu at [Coda](https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/cbd/restaurants/c
