Guyanese duck curry is a fragrant dish of chopped duck, that’s seared then simmered in a homemade curry paste until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. It’s rich, hearty, and deeply infused with a blend of aromatic spices and herbs. Enjoy it with dhal puri for a Guyanese comfort meal.
Duck Curry
Duck curry is a Caribbean dish, popular in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (Curry Duck). It is so popular that duck curry or curry duck competitions are a big deal. When it comes to duck curry recipes, most people keep theirs as treasured family secrets. With this recipe you will be able to crack the code for delicious, mouth watering Guyanese duck curry. Get ready to make one of the best curries of your life. If you’ve never tried Guyanese curry before, be sure to start with Guyanese Style Chicken Curry and Guyanese Lamb Curry.
Confession: For years I didn’t like duck curry. I later found out that I wasn’t having good duck curry. It wasn’t until I visited my husband’s relatives in Toronto, CA and his Aunty Sandy made duck curry that I realized not all duck curries are created equally. For years my husband raved about Aunty Sandy’s duck curry and he was right, it is amazing. This is her recipe. Thank you Aunty Sandy!
Why You’ll Love This Duck Curry Recipe
- Labor of Love: The duck is cooked over a couple of hours so each mouthwatering bite is perfectly tender. You can also speed up the process by pressure cooking the duck. See recipe card for instructions.
- Hearty Meal: Served over rice, with roti or dhal puri, this is a super filling meal that will warm you from the inside out.
- Super Flavorful: Duck meat is known for its depth of flavor, which tastes amazing when paired with the rich masala heavy curry.
What is the history of duck curry?
Duck curry or Curry Duck is not a single dish with a singular history, but rather a concept that has been adapted and developed across various cultures and cuisines over time. The way we make duck curry in the Caribbean, especially in Guyana and Trinidad is very similar to how it is made in Kerala, a state in Southeast India.
What’s the Difference Between Thai Curry and Carribean Curry?
Across regions and cultures, there are a variety of duck curry recipes. Thai curry is one of the most popular versions. Thai curries are known for their vibrant and aromatic flavors. They often balance a combination of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour flavors. Common ingredients include fish sauce, lemongrass, Thai basil, and coconut milk.
Whereas, Carribean curries have a bold, savory, spicy, earthy taste. Recipes include ingredients like hot peppers, geera (cumin), curry powder, thyme, and scallions. Coconut milk is less common in Caribbean curries, and water or broth is used for the liquid base.
Ingredients for Duck Curry
This duck curry / curry duck recipe has three components: the duck, green seasoning marinade, and a curry paste.
Duck
- Duck: Muscovy duck butchered, skin roasted and chopped up. I get my duck shipped to me All From 1 Supplier (an online West Indian Grocery store).
- All-purpose flour: This removes the gamey taste duck often has. To keep this recipe gluten free, use cassava flour instead.
- Lemons: The acid in the citrus works as a tenderizer and also boosts the flavor of the meat. You can use lime juice as an alternative.
- Salt: For seasoning.
- Curry Leaves (Optional): If you can source curry leaves it adds a nutty flavor to the curry and is worth it.
Green Seasoning
Add these fresh ingredients together for a punch of flavor and distinct Carribean flair.
- Yellow onions
- Garlic cloves
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Wiri wiri peppers or small yellow onions
Curry Paste
- Yellow curry powder: Ground turmeric, is a key ingredient in this dry spice blend.
- Garam masala: The name of this popular Indian spice blend translates to “warm spice mixture” in Hindi. It adds depth, warmth, and complexity to dishes without overpowering them. It typically contains cinnnamon, cardamom cloves, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and nutmeg.
- Amchar/Achar Masala (optional): This rich and dark roasted masala adds a bit of depth to the curry
- Geera: This is roasted cumin. It adds a warm, earthy, and slightly nutty taste.
- Avocado oil: Use this or similar oil (i.e., grapeseed oil or vegetable oil).
- Water: To boil. Add more if needed.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Duck Curry
How to Prepare Duck
Most Guyanese people buy fresh muscovy duck for their curry. The butcher roasts the duck and chops it into manageable pieces (see post on how to How to break down a whole chicken to see how this duck is butchered for curry). In order to remove some of the gamey taste of the duck, add it to a large bowl then sprinkle it with the flour (use cassava flour for gluten free). Mix together to coat the duck in flour and let rest for 10 minutes then rinse thoroughly.
Sprinkle with chopped up duck with lemon juice and rest for 5-10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, pat dry, then season with salt and set aside.
Make Green Seasoning
To a food processor add one yellow onion, 5 cloves of garlic, the green onions, the cilantro and the wiri wiri peppers and process until smooth and set aside.
Cook Duck Curry
Prepare Curry Paste
Combine the curry powder, garam masala, achar masala, geera and 1 cup of water in a small bowl. Mix together to form a loose paste and then set aside.
Sear Duck then Add Green Seasoning
Place a large skillet or wok over high heat. Once hot, add the duck you set aside earlier. Sear the duck, stirring often, until all of the liquid cooks down and some of the fat renders from the duck. You will start to see oil in the pan. This takes about 10 minutes.
Continue to cook duck for an additional minute or two then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the green seasoning to the duck and mix well.
Remove Duck and Cook Curry Masala
Add the oil to the same skillet or wok used to sear the duck. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and cook until translucent (about a minute). Then add curry leaves (if using) and the curry paste you set aside earlier.
Mix together with the hot oil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook the curry masala. If the masala thickens within a minute, add another cup of boiling water. Continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the masala cooks down and you begin to see bits of oil floating to the top.
Toss Duck with Curry Paste then Simmer
Add the seasoned duck to the masala and mix well to combine. Increase the heat to medium and let the duck cook in the massala, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.
Then add the remaining cups of boiling water. Stir to free any stuck on masala from the bottom of the pot. Then cover and let cook for 2 hrs or until the duck is tender. Stir the pot every 10-15 minutes to ensure that the food is not sticking to the bottom. If the liquid cooks down before the duck is tender continue to add boiling water, one cup at a time.
Your curry duck is ready when the duck is fall off the bone tender and the curry sauce is thick and clings to the duck. Serve your duck with dhal puri.
Storage
Once the curry duck has completely cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in the mircorwave or on the stove over medium heat until warmed through.
Tips for the Best Duck Curry (Curry Duck)
- Choose the right duck. Select fresh duck meat from a reputable source. The duck commonly used in Guyanese duck curry is muscovy duck. It is difficult to find in main stream supermarkets but you can find them at a Guyanese or West Indian Butcher.
- You can marinate the duck with the green seasoning. Marinating for a few hours or even overnight can enhance the flavor and tenderness of the meat.
- Don’t skip the searing process. Before adding the duck to the curry, sear or brown the meat in a pan. This helps to render out some of the fat from the skin and prevent it from being chewy. It also locks in the juices and adds depth of flavor to the final dish.
- This recipe takes time. Duck can be tough if not cooked properly. Consider slow-cooking the curry over low or medium heat to ensure the meat becomes tender and absorbs the flavors of the spices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Guyanese duck curry is made with Carribean green seasoning, yellow curry powder, garam masala, achar masala, geera, oil, and water.
Coat the duck with flour and let it sit for at least 10 minutes to remove the gamey taste from the meat. Then rinse the flour off and add lemon juice to the meat for at least 5 minutes. After you rinse that off, salt the duck to season the meat. You can then seasoning it with green seasoning or a blend of aromatics.
Red curry is spicy with a rich flavor, yellow curry is milder and slightly sweet with the addition of turmeric, and green curry is aromatic and balanced with a medium level of spiciness from green chili peppers.
Duck Curry Recipe
Equipment
- Large skillet or wok
Ingredients
- 8 lbs Duck butchered, skin seared and chopped up
- 1 cup All-purpose flour use cassava flour to keep it gluten free
- 3 Lemons juiced
- 1 tbsp Salt divided
- 2 Small yellow onions divided
- 10 Garlic cloves divided
- 4 Green onions
- 1 cup Cilantro leaves
- 3 Wiri wiri peppers or 1/2 habanero
- 1 cup Yellow curry powder
- 2 tbsp Garam masala
- 1 tbsp Achar/Amchar masala (optional)
- 1 tbsp Geera
- ¼ cup Avocado oil or similar
- 3 Curry leaves (optional)
- 8 cups Boiling Water to boil, add more if needed
Instructions
Prep Duck
- To remove the gamey taste of the duck, add the duck to a large bowl then sprinkle with the flour. Mix together to coat the duck in flour and let rest for 10 minutes then rinse thoroughly.
- Sprinkle with lemon juice and rest for 5-10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, pat dry, then season with salt and set aside.
Make a simple green seasoning:
- To a food processor add one yellow onion, 5 cloves of garlic, the green onions, the cilantro and the wiri wiri peppers, process until smooth and set aside. You can also reserve the wiri wiri peppers and add them whole while cooking to control the heat of the dish.
Make Duck Curry
- In a small bowl combine the curry powder, garam masala, achar/amchar masala, geera and 1 cup of water. Mix together to form a loose paste and then set aside.
- Dice the remaining onions and finely chop the remaining 5 cloves of garlic and set aside.
- Place a large skillet or wok over high heat. When hot, add the duck you set aside earlier. Sear the duck, stirring often, until all of the liquid cooks down and some of the fat renders from the duck. You will start to see oil in the pan. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Continue to cook duck for an additional minute or two then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the green seasoning to the duck and mix well.
- Add the oil to the same skillet or wok used to sear the duck. When the oil is hot, add the diced onions and the finely chopped garlic and cook until the onion is translucent and the garlic gets a little brown (about a minute).
- Then add in the curry leaves (if using) followed by the curry paste you set aside earlier. Mix together with the hot oil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook the curry paste or masala. If the masala thickens within a minute, add another cup of boiling water. Continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the masala cooks down and you begin to see bits of oil floating to the top.
- Add the seasoned duck to the masala and mix well to combine. Increase the heat to medium and let the duck cook in the masala, stirring often, for about 15 minutes. The duck should continue to render oils from the skin and "fry" or sear in the masala.
- After about 15 minutes of searing, add about 8 cups of boiling water and the whole wiri wiri peppers (if you didn't blend them with the green seasoning). Stir to free any stuck on masala from the bottom of the pot. Then cover and cook on medium to medium low heat for 2 hrs or until the duck is tender. Stir the pot every 10-15 minutes to ensure that the food is not sticking to the bottom. If the liquid cooks down before the duck is tender continue to add boiling water, one cup at a time, as often as needed.
- Your duck curry is ready when the duck is fall off the bone tender and the curry sauce is thick and clings to the duck.
- Serve your duck with dhal puri, roti or dhal and rice.
Notes
- If you can’t get muscovy duck where you are, I bought some online and it was really good. Check out All From 1 Supplier (not sponsored). Use code “metemgee” to get 10% off your order.
- You can season your duck over night with the green seasoning if you prefer. I was following my Aunt’s recipe and she doesn’t season hers overnight. It was delicious as is.
- This recipe is definitely for a large group, but it also freezes really well.
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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Raulene Says
Hands down, the best duck curry I have tasted. I never cooked duck before trying this recipe, but I have eaten duck curry so many times before. I followed each step meticulously, and while it was a very laborious task if you are accustomed to cooking other curries, the results were sooooo worth it. I am duck curry competition ready now, and it was a hit for everyone who ate. Thank you so much for sharing Altee.
Shane Mungal Says
Curry duck looks good
Asha Says
Thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe for Guyanese style Duck Curry. I hosted a dinner party for non-Guyanese friends, and it was a big hit. My friends can’t stop raving about it. I served it with dhal puri, roti and rice so everyone had options.
You are a treasure, Altee!
Althea Brown Says
I’m so glad it was a hit. Thank you so much for your continued support sis.