Vit Om Khoai So (Duck Braised with Taro in Coconut Milk), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener

Method

1. Rinse the half duck, peel and slice the ginger, trim the roots off the spring onion and cut it into lengths, and peel and halve 6 taro roots. Rub the duck with 5ml white rice wine to clear any smell, then rinse it again with clean water. Drop the peeled taro straight into lightly salted water so it does not darken.
2. Joint the duck into bite sized pieces and marinate them with 5ml cooking oil, 5g salt, 5ml white rice wine and 5ml soy sauce for about 30 minutes. Trim some of the fat while jointing, so the meat takes the seasoning and the dish stays light.
3. Heat a pan with 5ml cooking oil and fry the taro until golden on all sides, then lift it onto a plate lined with paper towel.
4. Add another 5ml cooking oil to the same pan, fry 20g ginger until fragrant, then add the duck and fry until the meat turns golden brown. Pour in 500ml water and 5ml soy sauce and bring to a boil. Add the fried taro, cover and braise for another 30 minutes.
5. Once the duck and taro are tender, add 18g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 150ml coconut milk and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. When the coconut milk starts to thicken, scatter in 10g spring onion cut into lengths and turn off the heat.

Tips

• Frying the taro golden on all sides before braising keeps the pieces whole.
• Trimming some duck fat during jointing keeps the braising liquid light and helps the meat take the seasoning.
• The taro goes in once the duck is nearly tender, since added together they break down before the meat softens.
• Peeled taro goes straight into lightly salted water so it does not darken.
• The coconut milk goes in last and cooks for only 5 to 10 minutes, since long cooking splits it.