Vietnamese duck in chili-orange juice

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 duck(s), cut into 8 pieces
• 6 star anise
• 400 ml orange juice
• 2 stalks lemongrass, crushed
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cm ginger root, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 5 chili peppers, red, without stem, halved
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 8 spring onions, approx. 8 cm long
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Sear the duck pieces in a large, hot pot to render out any fat. Discard the fat. In the same pot, fry the garlic and ginger in a little oil, then add the duck pieces. Brown everything thoroughly. Deglaze with 400 ml of orange juice. Don’t let the duck pieces drown in the juice. Add the fish sauce, star anise, and crushed lemongrass. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer with the lid on for about 45 minutes. Add a little more orange juice if necessary, until the duck pieces are cooked. Now add the trimmed spring onions, just the bottom pieces with the bulb, about 8 cm long, to the pot and braise for about 10 minutes. Remove the duck pieces and spring onions from the juice and arrange on a large plate, with the duck pieces on the bottom and the spring onions on top. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the juice and whisk over low heat until the juice reaches the desired thick consistency. Pour the sauce over the duck pieces and serve with rice. If you like it hotter or less spicy, simply vary the number of red chilies. The juice is essential in this dish, so always make sure you have plenty. If it cooks off too quickly, simply lower the heat and add a little orange juice.