Ahiru Tamal with Umeboshi Chipotle Sauce

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TAMAL (45 tamales)

• 360g of pork lard or duck fat
• 250ml of duck broth with 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1.350 kg masa for tamales: 1lt water to 500g of nixtamal flour.
• Corn Husk

For the Tamales:

1. Beat the Lard until fluffy, gradually beat in the broth, and beat again for about 3 minutes , gradually add the masa, beating after each addition, Finally beat for 3 minutes more.
2. Spread one very heaped tablespoon of the masa in a thin layer over the inside top part of a corn husk. Add 1 tablespoon sauce fold in the sauce of the husk so that the dough covers the filling, then fold in to cover.
3. When all the tamales have been assembled and folded stack hem vertically in the steamer cover them well with extra unused husks and a towel and steam for an hour

DUCK BOUILLON

• 7 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp Chipotle kankun sauce
• Half a bunch of spring onions, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 star anise
• 60 gm fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
• 20 gm coriander, stalks only, washed (use leaves in salad)
• 1 tsp five spice
• 20 black peppercorns
• Approx 8-10 litres of water
• salt.

Duck Legs

1. Cover the duck with water, add the herbs and spices, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 40-60 minutes, until the meat is completely tender.
2. Remove the duck from the stock and whilst still warm pull out the bone, then set aside in the fridge to cool.
3. Once cold, cut the duck into bite sized pieces, leaving the skin on.

Per tamal plate:

• 75g duck pieces
• Toasted sesame seeds

Deep fry the meat and toss in the duck sauce to serve on top of the tamal

UMEBOSHI-CHIPOTLE SALSA

• 10  medium plums
• 15 prunes
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
• 1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup soy sauce11
• 3 Tbs sugar
• 3 Tbs Mirin
• 3 Tbs Chipotle KanKun Salsa
• 2 tbsp umeboshi paste (Japanese pickled plum paste)
• 1 cup duck bouillon
• 1 tbsp cornflour

Method:

1. Slice plums and prunes in half and discard pits. Cut each half into about 6 chunks.
2. Mix plums in a saucepan with garlic, onion, ginger, soy sauce, and Chipotle Kankun sauce, Mirin and umeboshi paste
3. Mix the cornflour with the duck bouillon.
4. Heat on medium for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Blend well with an immersion blender and add more duck bouillon to thin if desired.

To finish serve with a fresh salad of Daikon, coriander, spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.