TOP Foodie Influencers and Chefs reveal their Secrets to a good Trini-Style Curry Duck
Curry Duck is one of the most common and well loved dishes to make in Trinidad, and as such, I decided to reach out to some top Foodie Influencers about what is the one thing that they think is key to a GOOD curry duck. You might be surprised to hear what they had to say.
It is no secret that trini-curry is unique, and we are also one of the few countries in the world that curries duck in the way that we do. This uniqueness even extends further down to the individual, where we have adapted our own methods and seasonings to meet the flavour demands of our families. So here are a few tips as stated by some top foodie influencers which you can consider the next time you venture into currying a duck Trini-style.
Reshmi is the woman behind the youtube channel Taste of Trini, which is aimed at sharing the food and culture of Trinidad and Tobago with the rest of the world. Her advice was that the meat must be seasoned well and part of her method of seasoning includes a mixture of duck and goat curry and Taj madras curry. She also likes to keep layering flavours from start to finish during the cooking process by adding fresh seasonings at various stages. Another word of advice from her was that you MUST allow the first amount of water that springs from the meat after chounkaying, to dry up completely before adding any more water.
LEARNING TIME:
Curry Leaves
In Trinidad we call curry leaves or kadi-patta, “carapoolay” leaves. The plant which it comes from is native to India but can be found in tropical climates such as right here in Trinidad. Sometimes you may notice a leaf in your packet of curry powder which you buy- this is actually curry leaves. One thing to note is that curry leaves and curry powder are DIFFERENT! Curry leaves comes from the specified plant, while curry powder is a mixture of various spices such as coriander, cumin etc.
Source: exportersindia.com
Natasha, the founder of Trini Cooking with Natasha youtube channel, offers cuisine from Trinidad and Tobago, The Caribbean and dishes from around the world. Natasha explained that the duck meat must be seasoned with the famous trini green seasoning inclusive of some podina (spanish thyme). She also likes to mix her curry with various other spices such as ground geera and tumeric. One of her pieces of advice was actually in the chounkaying process. She likes to add methee seeds to flavour the oil as it heats up. But get this! She also likes to add curry leaves to the oil as well. How interesting is that!
Jason Peru is a renowned celebrity chef from Trinidad and Tobago with a vast amount of titles under his belt, both locally and internationally. His advice is that you must not be afraid to add sufficient water to the meat to ensure that it tenderizes well. This means re-adding water if necessary. No one likes a tough duck and this guarantees that a tender one is achieved for everyone’s enjoyment.
I cannot have a list of tips without including my very own. I would say that seasoning with the typical spices of curry powder, geera and anchar massala, together with the fresh ingredients of garlic, bhandania and onions are critical. But even more crucial, is the boojaying process which I explained in Anita’s Dictionary and in my version of curry duck. Cooking a duck on a chulha adds tremendous flavour, but boojaying it the right way amplifies it even further. This is where you get that smokey flavour that extends down to the bone of the duck.
I was not surprised to hear that each person considered SEASONING as one of the key elements for a good curry duck. And in Trinidad , this is one thing that we do not compromise when cooking any meat dish. Despite that, each person also had their own little secret which comes with experience and practice. I am sure you have you very own as well.
So the next time you curry a duck, please try one of these pointers and gather your own judgement on how it enhances your meal. I would love to hear from you all on this!