DUCK RAMEN

By Derek & Olivia Towles
IG: @derekbha

Servings: 2

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

This quick and easy duck recipe comes together in just minutes. Cooking duck can feel intimidating, thanks to all the stories about how easily it can go wrong. Because of that, many home cooks shy away from it altogether, overlooking how simple it can actually be. That’s where this recipe comes in. If you can chop a few vegetables and sear a duck breast, you can make this dish. Honestly, the hardest part is probably poaching the egg. We use homemade duck broth made from the bones and feet of harvested ducks, but chicken or vegetable broth works just as well. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Ingredients

• 6 cups duck broth 
• ½ teaspoon fish sauce
• 1-2 Tablespoons sriracha
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2-inch piece ginger 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 green onions thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 2 medium or large carrots, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
• 6-8 oz of Asian noodles (ramen, somen, udon)
• 2 eggs
• 2 duck breasts (skin on or off)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• Sesame seeds 

Instructions

1.     In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine duck broth, fish sauce, sriracha, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer.

2. While the broth is heating, peel ginger and garlic and finely mince or use a mortar and pestle to mash into a fine paste. Add to the pot and increase heat to a gentle boil. 
3. Once the broth is gently boiling, add white parts of green onions and carrots to the pot.
4. Add noodles to the pot and cook in the broth according to package instructions. 
5. During the last couple minutes of cooking the noodles, reduce heat to a simmer. In the broth, either poach the eggs, or, in a separate pot, soft boil the eggs.
6. In a cast iron or non-stick pan, sear the duck breast over high heat (See Note Below)
7. Just before ladling, stir spinach into the broth and cook for 30 seconds. Ladle broth, vegetables and noodles into serving bowls with a poached or soft-boiled egg on top. 

8.     Thinly slice duck breast and then add one breast to each bowl. The duck will continue to cook a little once it is added to the hot broth. 

9.     Lastly, top with the green parts of the onions, sprinkle some sesame seeds, and add a final drizzle of sriracha if you like the heat! Other toppings ideas: finely chopped Kimchi, sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts, etc.

**Note: If you’re using skin on, I like to score the skin and sear the breasts skin side down first. That way, the fat renders out to cook the meat. If you’re using skinless duck breast then add some olive oil to the pan. A couple minutes on each side should do the trick. Use an instant read thermometer to reach an internal temperature of about 120 degrees. Don’t worry if it’s not exactly at 120, the meat will finish cooking later in the recipe. Place seared duck breast on a cutting board and let rest.