Spiced duck leg confit in pepe soup broth
Maria Bradford’s version of Sierra Leone's pepper soup showcases duck legs instead of the traditional goat. The duck is marinated overnight in an allspice and star anise spice paste and confited in the oven in duck fat, making this a pleasingly hands off dish that delivers big flavours. The pepper soup spice blend includes traditional West African spices like calabash nutmeg, grains of selim and grains of paradise.
Maria says, “We have a goat pepper soup in Sierra Leone, so while a duck version isn’t what we would call a traditional Sierra Leonean dish, it can be found in Freetown, or anywhere where you can source similar ingredients.”
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
SPICED DUCK LEG CONFIT
- 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 2 star anise
- 1 tbsp of flaky sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 sprigs of coriander
- 6 duck legs
- 2l duck fat, for confiting
PEPE SOUP SPICE BLEND
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 whole calabash nutmeg
- 12 grains of selim
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 1 tsp grains of paradise
- 1 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
CORIANDER OIL
- 50g of coriander
- 100g of vegetable oil
PEPE SOUP BROTH
- 1l chicken stock, ideally good quality
- 2 large red onion, sliced
- 25g of ginger
- 15g of garlic cloves, about 3 cloves, sliced
- 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, to taste, deseeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp of coconut sugar
- 1/2 lime, juiced
PAK CHOI
- 3 pak choi, outer leaves removed and reserved
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Equipment
- Muslin cloth
- Squeezy bottle
Method
The day before you plan to serve, start the spiced duck leg confit. Toast the whole spices in a hot, dry frying pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Grind to a paste in a pestle and mortar or food processor with the sea salt, garlic and coriander sprigs
- 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 2 star anise
- 1 tbsp of flaky sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 sprigs of coriander
Put the duck legs in a plastic bag, add the spice paste and rub it well into the duck. Leave to marinate overnight in the fridge
The next day, preheat the oven to 150°C. Remove the duck legs from the bag and wipe off the excess marinade. Put the duck legs in a single layer in a deep roasting tin. Pour over the duck fat to cover (heat it gently to melt it if it’s not liquid) and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours or until the meat is tender
- 2l duck fat, for confiting
For the pepe soup spice blend, lightly toast all the spices in a hot, dry frying pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Allow to cool, then grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder until fine. Set aside
- 3 whole calabash nutmeg
- 12 grains of selim
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 1 tsp grains of paradise
- 1 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
For the coriander oil, place the coriander and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream as you blitz on a high speed for 2 minutes
- 50g of coriander
- 100g of vegetable oil
Strain through a muslin cloth into a bottle, then place upside down in the fridge (cover the nozzle to prevent leaking) to separate any water from the oil. Once separated, squeeze out and discard any water, then keep in the fridge until needed
Increase the oven temperature to 180°C. Carefully lift out the duck legs from the fat and trim off the knuckles. Place on a baking tray skin-side down, then put back in the oven and cook for 30 minutes
Turn the duck legs skin-side up and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy. Set aside and keep warm
For the pepe soup broth, put the chicken stock in a saucepan and add the onions, ginger, garlic, chilli and 1 tbsp of the spice blend. Bring to a boil and simmer gently on a low heat for 30 minutes
- 1l chicken stock, ideally good quality
- 2 large red onion, sliced
- 25g of ginger
- 15g of garlic cloves, about 3 cloves, sliced
- 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, to taste, deseeded and chopped
Season the broth with the oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, coconut sugar and the lime juice. The broth should be sweet, salty and spicy with plenty of flavour
- 1 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp of coconut sugar
- 1/2 lime, juiced
Strain the broth through a fine sieve and discard the solids. Return the broth to the pan off the heat, until ready to serve
To serve, preheat a deep-fat fryer to 180°C or add enough oil to a wide, deep frying pan until at least 2cm deep. Deep-fry 6 of the reserved outer leaves of the pak choi until crispy, then remove and season with salt
- 3 pak choi, outer leaves removed and reserved
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
Heat the broth in a saucepan over a medium heat. Halve the pak choi hearts then add them to the broth and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender
To serve, divide the pak choi hearts between six bowls. Sit the confit duck legs on top, with a crispy pak choi leaf alongside. Divide the broth between serving jugs and split with some coriander oil
Pour the broth into the bowls at the table
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