Ken Hom is the authority on Chinese stir-frying—he's written four books on the subject. So when Hom replaced chicken with meatier, richer duck breasts in a stir-fry, we knew it would be a good idea: The duck has enough flavor to stand up to the ...
Four skinless, boneless Pekin duck breasts (6 ounces each), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
1 red chile, seeded and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
In a medium bowl, stir 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce with the wine, sesame oil, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Add the duck and turn to coat. Let the duck marinate for 10 minutes.
In a large skillet or a wok, heat the oil. Add the duck; reserve any excess marinade. Cook over high heat until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Add the garlic, shallot, jalapeño and chile to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the reserved marinade, the sugar and the stock and stir-fry, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Return the duck to the skillet and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts. Transfer to plates, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.
