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Pato no tucupi
Pato no tucupi: roast duck simmered in yellow cassava tucupi broth with tingling jambu leaves
Belém eats pato no tucupi above all at the Círio de Nazaré lunch in October, but restaurants around the Ver-o-Peso serve it year round. Duck is marinated, roasted until the skin is brown, then simmered in tucupi, the yellow, sour broth pressed from wild cassava, with garlic, culantro and basil, and finished with jambu, a leaf that makes lips tingle and go pleasantly numb. The flavour is tart, savoury and electric. Raw tucupi is toxic: buy only commercial tucupi sold frozen or bottled in Brazilian shops, which has already been cooked, and still boil it as below. Jambu is sold frozen there too, or as fresh paracress (Szechuan buttons). Allow an overnight marinade in the fridge. A frequent mistake is skipping the roast and just boiling the duck, which leaves the skin flabby and the broth greasy. Serve with white rice and farinha d'água. Chef's tip: blanch the jambu separately and add it at the end so it stays green and keeps its buzz.
- Total time
- 190 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the duck
For the broth
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 0.3 litres tucupi (cooked cassava broth) with 4 cloves garlic, 2 limes and 1 tsp salt, rub it all over 5 ½ lb whole duck, cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Step 2: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Lay the duck skin side up in a roasting tin, keeping the marinade in the fridge, and roast for 60–70 minutes until the skin is deep brown and the thigh juices run clear (165°F).
70 minStep 3: Meanwhile, put the rest of 1.7 litres tucupi (cooked cassava broth) in a large pot with the rest of 4 cloves garlic, 1 bunch culantro (chicória-do-pará), 1 bunch fresh basil (alfavaca), 3 pimenta-de-cheiro or other mild chilli and the rest of 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes, skimming any foam.
30 minStep 4: Lift the duck into the tucupi with the used marinade, and pour off and keep the roasting fat for another use. Simmer gently for 40 minutes until the meat is very tender and coming away from the bone.
40 minStep 5: Bring 1 litre water to the boil, blanch 3 bunches jambu leaves and stems for 3 minutes until bright green and soft, and drain.
3 minStep 6: Discard the herb stalks, add the jambu to the pot, taste for salt and serve in deep bowls with rice and farinha d'água.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 44 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pato no tucupi take?
- About 190 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of limes?
- Lemon, same amount.
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