Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Kerala duck curry
Kerala duck curry (Tharavu curry)
The duck curry of Kerala’s backwaters: duck cooked with onions, spices and coconut milk, made for Easter and Christmas.
Too hot for you? Use half the chilli (powder, paste or fresh chillies) and leave out the green chillies.
New here? How this page works
Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.
This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Kerala duck curry. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.
Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Kerala duck curry
See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map
You’ll need
The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.
Main ingredient: 1.2 kg Duck, in pieces.
From the base recipe
- 3 Onions
- 3 Green chillies
Cooking oilnot used- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp · not used Salt and water
- 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 4 · 4 · 3 cm Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon
- 1 tsp Garam masala (optional)
Add for Kerala duck curry
- 600 ml Coconut milk
- 3 tbsp Coconut oil
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 2 tbsp · 1 tsp Coriander powder and black pepper
- optional Potatoes (optional)
Leave out
- Nothing: use it all.
The nine steps, with the changes
Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.
Base step: do not use
Cut onions and chillies.Kerala duck curry: do thisSlice the onions; slit the green chillies.
Base step: do not use
Fry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.Kerala duck curry: do thisFry in coconut oil with whole spices and curry leaves. Add ginger garlic paste.
Base step: do not use
Cut the vegetable(s) of your choice.Kerala duck curry: do thisUse the duck.
Base step: do not use
Add them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.Kerala duck curry: do thisAdd the duck and fry well, letting its fat render.
Base step: do not use
Add red chilli powder and turmeric.Kerala duck curry: do thisAdd chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder and pepper.
Keep frying until just before they start browning.
Base step: do not use
Add some water.Kerala duck curry: do thisAdd thin coconut milk.
Add salt.
Base step: do not use
Boil until the gravy is as thick as you like.Kerala duck curry: do thisSimmer 45 minutes–1 hour until tender, then add thick coconut milk and garam masala.
Serve: With appam or rice.
For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.
Food marks, as on packaged food in India: vegetarian · non-vegetarian (meat, fish or egg). Dishes with both marks can be made either way.
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