Kamo nanban is a Japanese dish of soba noodles in a hot dashi broth topped with duck. The sous vide duck breast - poultry’s red meat - is perfectly in place here, as is crispy tempura asparagus and green onion puree.
1/2cupvery cold soda wateror as much as you need to get the right consistency
Cooking oil for deep frying
Instructions
Marinate the duck breast
Peel and grate the ginger and peel and crush the garlic.
Combine the garlic and ginger with the miso, mirin, and soy sauce.
Trim any loose flaps of skin from the duck breasts.
Smear the duck meat (not the skin) with the marinade. Put the remaining marinade in the bottom of a dish then place the duck breasts on top, skin side up.
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or preferably overnight.
Crispy skin duck breast - sous vide
Wipe any marinade from the duck.
Make very shallow cuts into the skin, as deep as it takes to get to the layer of fat, but no deeper. This allows more fat to render out. Drain off and retain any rendered fats during the following steps.
In a cold skillet or non-stick pan, add the duck breasts skin side down and over na medium heat pre sear for 2 to 3 minutes.
Allow to cool a little then add a smear of the marinade and put into sous vide bags.
Cook the duck 1 hour 30 minutes at 58 degC.
Remove from the bags, wipe off any juices, and add back to a hot skillet or non-stick pan skin side down and sear for a further 5 minutes or so, until golden brown.
Use a spatula to press the breast down flat in order to get an even sear.
Sear the other side for a minute or two.
Allow to rest for 5 minutes, skin side up.
Cut the duck breasts into 5-10mm thick slices.
Crispy skin duck breast - traditional
Wipe any marinade from the duck.
Make very shallow cuts into the skin, as deep as it takes to get to the layer of fat, but no deeper. This allows more fat to render out.
Add the duck breasts to a cold skillet or non-stick pan and put over a medium-low heat.
Use a spatula to press the breast down flat in order to get an even sear.
Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 15 minutes. The duck's internal temperature should be about 52 degC. Drain off and retain rendered fat during this time.
Turn over the chicken breasts and continue cooking until the internal temperature is 58 degC. (or 54 degC if you prefer it closer to medium-rare).
Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the duck breasts into 5-10mm thick slices.
Green onion drizzle
Blend all the ingredients together except the water.
Add a little water if necessary so it reaches a thick cream consistency.
Soba and dashi broth
Cook the dried soba noodles according to the package, or until al dente.
Drain the noodles in a collander and place under cold running water to stop the cooking. Allow to drain.
Add the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sake to a saucepan.
When nearly ready to serve, bring up to a simmer.
Asparagus tempura
Rinse the asparagus stalks.
Cut or break the stalks about 1/3 from the base. Discard the base end, or retain for a stock.
Whisk together the egg yolk, vodka (if using), and a 1/4 cup of the ice cold soda water.
Mix together the all purpose flour and the cornflour in a large bowl.
Pour the egg and water mixture into the flour and stir with chopsticks. Don’t stir too much, there should still be clumps of flour. Add enough of the remaining soda water until you get a suitable batter consistency.
Bring the cooking oil up to a medium temperature. Add a bit of batter to the oil and if it sizzles, it is hot enough.
Dip the asparagus spears into the batter, then into the hot cooking oil.
Afer a minute or so, flip them over.
When light brown/golden all over, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Plating
Add the drained noodles to the simmering dashi broth and reheat for a minute or two.
Transfer noodles to warmed bowls and ladle some of the dashi broth over them.
Top with a few slices of duck, several pieces of asparagus tempura, and a drizzle of the green onion.