Duck Fried Rice with Napa Cabbage

After cooking a duck recently, I found myself with approximately half a duck just sitting in the fridge, waiting  to play out the rest of its life in some twisted culinary experiment.  I think it met an admirable fate in the form of this duck fried rice with Napa cabbage, which is a bit different from my usual fried rice recipes in that it had less rice than other ingredients.  The cabbage, although cooked down, gives this dish a nice crunch and slight bitterness, and the whole straw mushrooms keep you guessing about what's in the next mouthful.  And the best part of this dish was the rich duck flavor, imparted not only from the duck meat, but from the duck fat that I cooked this in.  Bottom line, if you cook a duck, SAVE THE DUCK FAT and make this recipe.  I don't care what meat you put in, but trust me, duck fat is like stir-fry gold if used properly.  Let's discuss....

Lots of Napa cabbage brings a great texture and flavor to this dish

Duck Fried Rice with Napa Cabbage
by Tyler Florence, process modified slightly by me

Serves: 4 to 6

• 5 tablespoons duck fat or, if you don't happen to have duck fat (and who's to blame for that?), peanut oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated 
• Pinch red pepper flakes 
• 1 small head Napa cabbage, cored and chopped - probably 2 pounds' worth
• 1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed 
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, run under cool water for 2 minutes to thaw 
• 1 generous pinch kosher salt 
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1 pint cooked long-grain white rice 
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 1 cup cooked duck meat, cut in pieces 
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish 

Note the container of duck fat on the right - that's good eatin'!

Another look - duck hasn't been deboned and chopped yet, and the rice has yet to be pre-treated with fat

Heat 2 tablespoons of the fat or oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high flame.  Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the shallots, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes; stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.  Add the cabbage, mushrooms, and peas, stir-fry until the cabbage is wilted and soft, about 8 minutes; season with a nice pinch of salt.  Yes, 8 minutes - don't just stir this around - cook it down a bit.  I was worried it would overcook, but it definitely did not.  Remove the vegetables to a side platter and wipe out the wok. 

Stir-fry your aromatics.  Be sure not to skip the shallot!  They're cheap at the Asian grocery stores

Add the cabbage with the mushrooms and peas, and cook for a few minutes

And now, a short aside about rice.  Use leftover rice for this, do not cook it fresh.  If you do, there will be way too much moisture in the rice, and you'll end up with a gummy, squishy mess that nobody wants to eat.  Putting things in the fridge essentially dehydrates them, unless they're in the best of tupperware.  So let your rice go stale in the fridge for a few days, to the point that you wouldn't want to reheat it and it plain.

While the wok reheats, place the rice in a large bowl, take 2 tablespoons of your delicious duck fat, and pour it on the rice.  Break up the rice with your fingers, working the fat into the mess to coat all of the grains with fat.  What this is doing is protecting the rice by creating a moisture barrier and ensuring that it really fries, rather than fries only on the bottom of the wok and steams everywhere else.  You'll use the same amount of oil as the normal recipe, you'll just use it more smartly.  I didn't take pictures here, but I learned this trick from About.com's pineapple fried rice recipe, which I posted and have pictures of here.

Put the pan back on the heat and coat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  When the oil is hot, pour the eggs into the center of the pan.  Scramble the eggs lightly, then let them set without stirring so they stay in big pieces.  Fold in the rice and toss with the egg to combine well.  Allow the rice to sit for a few seconds, then flip it around; repeat this process for a minute or two to fry up the rice.  After you're satisfied that the rice is now 'fried', add your duck, return the sauteed vegetables to the pan, and moisten all with the soy sauce.  Toss everything together to heat through and season again with salt.  Spoon the fried rice out onto a serving platter, lay the pieces of duck on top, and garnish with cilantro.

Notice the rice isn't at all breaking down, which it used to before I coated grains in oil.  Or sweet, delicious duck fat.