Winter nights in our home were always filled by the tantalizing aroma of Bengali Duck Curry. My grandmother always insisted that duck can only be cooked in mustard oil and not hurried. I follow her advice every time I make this dish at home until the spices tasted just like the ones she used to. This dish of richly flavored and spicy curry goes wonderfully with hot steamed rice on a chilly evening.
Why Love This Recipe
- Bengali Style Duck Curry is a very popular and delicious dish of Bengal.
- Slow cooking the duck meat helps in tenderizing the meat and extracting the best out of the flavors.
- Adding crushed and whole spices not only enhances the aroma but also gives the curry its unique flavor.
- Bengali Style Duck Curry is best eaten with steamed rice, Bengali style pulao, luchi, paratha or roti.
- Besides the 20 mins of preparation, it takes me about an hour to cook and serve this dish.
- If you are looking for some other curry options apart from Bengali Style Duck Curry then you must have a look at classic chicken curry, mutton curry, rohu or hilsa fish curry and even vegetable curry and paneer curry.
The Ingredients:
- Duck Meat: 1 kg (cut and cleaned)
- Onions: 2 big size (finely sliced)
- Ginger-Garlic-Dry Chili Paste Prepared with 1.5 inch Ginger, 2 Garlic and 7 Red Chilies
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Coriander Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Cumin Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Mustard Oil: 3 tbl spoons
- Whole Spices: Cumin Seeds: 1 tbl sp, Coriander Seeds: 1 tbl sp, Bay Leaves: 2, Cinnamon Sticks: 2, Green Cardamom: 4, Black Pepper: 8-9
- Salt to Taste
How to Cook Bengali Style Duck Curry (Step by Step Images?
1. Fire up the earthen stove.
2. Heat a cooking pan and dry roast the whole spices (coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom and black pepper). Take them out when they release fragrance. Grind them in a mixer or on sil batta (grinding stone).
3. Pour mustard oil into the wok.
4. Add bay leaves and cumin seeds. Give them a good stir.
5. When cumin seeds start spluttering, add finely sliced onion. Sprinkle some salt. Fry until the onion turns golden brown.
6. Add ginger-garlic-dry chili paste. Stir well.
7. After the raw flavor go away, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir for 2 minutes.
8. Add a little bit of water. Continue stirring until a thick paste-like texture is formed.
9. Add duck meat pieces. Mix well. Add a little amount of salt.
10. Place a lid on the pan. Meat will release water. Let it boil in its own water for 10 minutes until the water gets dried.
(Pro Tip: I do not rush this stage. Duck fat rendering slowly here is what gives the curry its real depth.)
11. Remove the lid. Add 6 cups of warm water. You can add more water if required. Duck meat takes time to boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, mix the already grinded whole spices with a little amount of water and make a thick paste. When water gets reduced to half, add the thick paste and mix well.
13. Cook for another 5 minutes. Bengali Style Duck Curry is ready.
14. Pour the Bengali Style Duck Curry into a bowl. It will take 50-60 minutes to prepare the dish. It is best enjoyed with pulao or steamed rice. You may also pair it with Indian breads like roti, luchi, or paratha.
Give It a Twist
- I sometimes toss in potatoes too.
- Finish it with raw mustard oil for an earthy taste.
- Pressure cooking on busy days cuts down my usual cooking time.
- Bone-in duck with skin gives noticeably richer, fattier gravy.
- For my two kids, I sometimes halve the whole spice quantity considerably.
- I sometimes swap the warm water for coconut milk to make it kalia-style.
- I have often thrown in a couple of whole green chilies for an extra fiery kick.
Bengali Style Duck Curry Recipe Simple Solutions
Q: My gravy is watery. What went wrong?
A: You must have added all 6 cups of water in the recipe at once. Next time, add it in portions and let it get thickened.
Q: The duck is still hard after boiling for 25 mins in step 11?
A: Duck does take longer than chicken or mutton. So, boil for another 10 to 15 minutes on a low flame in step 11.
Q: The curry is bitter. Any solution?
A: It happens when you burn the whole ground spice paste. So, add it on a low flame in step 12.
Q: Can I use ready-made ginger, garlic and dry chili paste instead of making my own in step 6?
A: Yes, you can, but I think the smell of dry chilies in the paste gives a unique aroma that is not available in the store-bought varieties.
Q: Why is there a lot of extra oil floating on top in the end?
A: Use 2 tbsps of mustard oil instead of 3. I think due to the fat from the duck, it becomes oilier.
Recipe Card:
Bengali Style Duck Curry (Hasher Mangsho Kosha)
Ingredients
- Duck Meat: 1 kg cut and cleaned
- Onions: 2 big size finely sliced
- Ginger-Garlic-Dry Chili Paste Prepared with 1.5 inch Ginger 2 Garlic and 7 Red Chilies
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Coriander Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Cumin Powder: 1 tbl spoon
- Mustard Oil: 3 tbl spoons
- Whole Spices: Cumin Seeds: 1 tbl sp Coriander Seeds: 1 tbl sp, Bay Leaves: 2, Cinnamon Sticks: 2, Green Cardamom: 4, Black Pepper: 8-9
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
- Fire up the earthen stove.
- Heat a cooking pan and dry roast the whole spices (coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom and black pepper). Take them out when they release fragrance. Grind them in a mixer or on sil batta (grinding stone).
- Pour mustard oil into the wok.
- Add bay leaves and cumin seeds. Give them a good stir.
- When cumin seeds start spluttering, add finely sliced onion. Sprinkle some salt. Fry until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add ginger-garlic-dry chili paste. Stir well.
- After the raw flavor goes away, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir for 2 minutes.
- Add a little bit of water. Continue stirring until a thick paste-like texture is formed.
- Add duck meat pieces. Mix well. Add a little amount of salt.
- Place a lid on the pan. Meat will release water. Let it boil in its own water for 10 minutes until the water gets dried. (Pro Tip: I do not rush this stage. Duck fat rendering slowly here is what gives the curry its real depth.)
- Remove the lid. Add 6 cups of warm water. You can add more water if required. Duck meat takes time to boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the already ground whole spices with a little amount of water and make a thick paste. When water gets reduced to half, add the thick paste and mix well.
- Cook for another 5 minutes. Bengali Style Duck Curry is ready.
- Pour the Bengali Style Duck Curry into a bowl. It will take 50-60 minutes to prepare the dish. It is best enjoyed with pulao or steamed rice. You may also pair it with Indian breads like roti, luchi, or paratha.
