These duck breasts are not cooked in a tandoor, and not even in an oven, but they do taste like tandoor-baked poultry, hence their name. I marinate them in the same manner that I would a tandoori chicken, then I quickly pan-fry them so they stay a little rare inside. They take just minutes to cook. As for the skin, which is flabby if not crisped to perfection—well, I just remove it entirely. I like to serve this duck with Sri Lankan Rice with Cilantro and Lemon Grass and Swiss Chard with Ginger and Garlic.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　

For the Marinade

1 tablespoon lemon juice

　　2 tablespoons plain yogurt

　　1/2 medium onion, chopped

　　2 cloves garlic, chopped

　　One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

　　1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1 1/4 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　1 teaspoon garam masala, preferably homemade (page 285)

　　

You Also Need

The breasts of two ducks, about 2 pounds in all

　　1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

　　

Step 1

Put the ingredients for the marinade in a blender in the listed order and blend until smooth.

　　

Step 2

Pull off the duck skin. Pat the breasts with paper towels until dry. Rub the marinade on both sides of each piece and put in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

　　

Step 3

Pick up one breast. Most of the marinade will drop off, and some will still cling to the meat. That is all you want. Put the breast flat on a board and cut it crossways, holding the knife at a slight diagonal, into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Cut all the duck pieces this way.

　　

Step 4

Just before eating, set a large, heavy (preferably cast-iron) frying pan over medium-high heat. Let it get very hot. Brush it with oil. Now lay down about 8 slices of duck on the hot pan. As soon as they are lightly browned, a matter of seconds, turn them over and quickly brown the second side. Remove to a warm plate and cover loosely. Do all the slices this way and serve hot.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.