Serves: Makes 10-12
These crispy little balls of deliciousness make the perfect aperitif snack-or serve with sticky rice and stir-fried vegetables for a lunch or dinner. I have cheated by using half a ready-cooked crispy duck from the supermarket but you could use homemade confit duck if you wanted to go the whole hog. A little gentle moulding is required to hold the mixture in a ball and you will need to chill them for at least an hour before dipping. I deep-fried my cromesquis as I had some oil in my fryer but you could fry in a deep-sided frying pan if you don’t have an electric fryer or you don’t want to use a lot of oil (there is currently a shortage of sunflower oil so waste not want not).
Ingredients
- One pack ready to cook aromatic half crispy duck
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 bunches spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 250g shiitake mushrooms, stalks removed and caps finely chopped
- 25g root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons plain flour seasoned with salt and ground black pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 50g panko crumbs
- Oil for deep frying (see intro)
- For the dipping sauce
- ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
- ½ garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Juice of one lime
- 2 ½ teaspoons caster sugar
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°c, mark 6. Put the duck in a roasting tin lined with non-stick parchment. Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until crisp and golden. While the duck is cooking prepare the vegetables.
- Heat the oil in a sauté pan and cook the spring onions for 2-3 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly, over a moderately high heat for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and light golden. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for a further minute. Take off the heat and stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.
- When the duck is cooked take out of the oven and leave until cold enough to handle. Take the meat off the bones and shred the duck (including the skin) with a couple of forks. Chop with a knife if necessary to get little morsels of meat. Stir into the mushroom mix. Taste and season with a little salt if necessary and ground black pepper.
- Shape the mix into golf ball-sized spheres, squeezing firmly so it all holds together. Place on a tray and chill for at least one hour.
- To make the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients together and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Place the flour in one dish, the beaten eggs in another and the panko in a third dish. Carefully coat each ball in the flour, followed by the egg and finally roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat for the remaining balls.
- Heat the oil to 180°c. Deep-fry the balls in batches for about 1-2 minutes until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the dipping sauce.
