Braised Balinese duck

Method

1. Set the oven to 170°C/ gas 3. Rinse the duck well and blot it completely dry with kitchen paper.

2. Peel off the tough outer layers of the lemon grass stalks, leaving the tender whitish centre. Crush them with the flat of a knife, and then cut them into 7cm pieces.

3. Place the lemon grass, garlic, shallots, ginger, chilli, lime juice, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, shrimp paste, black pepper, salt, sesame oil and water in a food processor and blend them until they form a fairly smooth paste.

4. Transfer the spice paste to a saucepan over a low heat and simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes, until thoroughly cooked. Add more water if the paste begins to stick to the pan.

5. Rub the paste over the duck, inside and out. Then carefully wrap the duck in several layers of kitchen foil, sealing it well.

6. Place the wrapped duck on a wire rack, set in a roasting pan, pour a little water into the tin to prevent the fat splattering and cook for 1 hour.

7. Then turn the heat down to 140°C/ gas 1. Cook the duck for a further 2 hours.

8. Remove the duck from the oven, unwrap it and pour any juices into a heatproof jug. Allow this to stand for a few minutes, and then discard the surface fat, saving the juices.

9. Leave the duck to stand for at least 10 minutes before you carve it. Using a clever or a sharp knife cut the skin and meat into pieces; it should be very tender.

10. Arrange the meat on a warm platter, pour the juices over the pieces and serve with boiled rice.