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How to Cook Duck Moile (Curry)

How to Cook Duck Moile (Curry)

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East Indian Duck Moile is a traditional dish that is full of flavour. Tender and juicy slow-cooked duck meat is served with rice, foogias, hand breads, or chitaps, and a cooling salad for the perfect meal!


Have you ever wondered how to season and cook duck meat? It can get tricky because if it’s not cooked properly or overcooked, you would be left with a duck that is tough and dry. Why don’t you try our Duck Moilee recipe? It is a traditional East Indian recipe that is delicious and often eaten for Easter lunch or Christmas celebrations.

We East Indians as you know, go all out with food when it comes to any special occasions and also Christmas and Easter table spreads. The duck moile is a flavourful and wonderful duck curry that’s almost always added to the Christmas or Easter menu.

Once upon a time in the good old days, ducks were more easily available as we had our own farms and bungalows with coops or pens for chickens and ducks as well as homegrown pigs. I remember Mom reminiscing about how she used to feed the little piglings with a milk bottle in her youth. Anyway, back to the ducks. These days, ducks are only available around Christmas or Easter in Mumbai. Otherwise, you have to specially request for them.

But yes, duck meat is really tasty, and you can make some really good dishes with them, one of which is this traditional East Indian recipe for Duck Moilee. Now every family has its own special recipe for the duck moile, and different spellings too. Some say duck moile, some say duck moilee – you know puh-tay-toh puh-tah-toh, tom-ay-toh tom-ah-toh. It still tastes ducking delicious! Here’s how we make the duck moilee curry at home!

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Duck Moilee?

In order to make our duck moile curry, first and foremost, you need a duck. Obviously! Then you also need salt, ghee, sugar, vinegar or wine, onions, ginger, chilies, and garlic, bottle masala, and also garam masala.

What is garam masala? It’s a spice mix made of a handful of ingredients. Our garam masala is made of cinnamon powder, ground cloves, ground pepper, nutmeg powder, and cardamom powder.

How To Make Duck Moilee?

The spicy duck meat curry (East Indian style) may look difficult, but if you follow our instructions, it’s easy to make. If your duck has been frozen, keep it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw for a while. If you’re using fresh duck, let’s get straight to it.

A whole frozen duck.
The whole duck

Cut into fairly large or medium pieces. You can always ask the store you get it from to cut the pieces as you like. Wash the duck pieces a few times with a mixture of water and a little vinegar and drain the water when you finish. This will get rid of any blood, grit and grains.

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Chopped pieces of duck in a kadai.
Chop the duck into medium pieces

Put the pieces of duck meat in a kadai or deep vessel, add salt, and allow it to cook. We use every part, including the offal – liver, stomach, heart, and lungs. Don’t add water! The duck will release water. Cook the duck until all this water has evaporated or is absorbed back into the duck meat.

Salt added to cut duck pieces in a kadai.
Add salt to the duck pieces

Then add a few tablespoons of ghee and fry the meat until it is nearly browned. Add sugar and cook till it melts. Once done, remove the meat pieces into another vessel and keep them aside for a while.

Duck cooking in a kadai on the stove.
Cook the duck till all the water is absorbed
Cooked duck pieces on a thali.
Remove the cooked duck and set aside

Cut the onions into rings and ginger, garlic, and green chilies into small strips. Add the onions to the ghee in the same vessel you used for the duck and fry till they are soft and translucent.

Cut onion slices and also cut chilies, ginger and garlic.
Onion rings and the masala
Onions added to a kadai with ghee.
Add onion rings
Onion add to the ghee in the kadai.
Fry the onions
Fried Glassy Onions in a kadai.
Fried onions

Add the rest of the cut ingredients; the garlic, ginger, and green chilies, and fry for about half a minute.

Chopped chilies, garlic annd ginger added to onions frying in a kadai.
Add the rest of the masala

Then add the bottle masala and fry gently adding a little water till the masala is nicely fried and smells good. Instead of adding water, what we do is add wine, this gives it a bit more flavour. You can use any homemade wine or storebought wine. We use sis’s dhal from the ginger wine, currant wine, grape wine, or literally any wine she makes.

Bottle masala added to a kadai with fried spices and onions.
Add bottle masala
Fried onions with spices and masala in a kadai.
Fried onions with spices and masala

Add more water or wine depending on how tender you want the bird, and when it starts to boil add the duck pieces back to this vessel, cover with a lid and cook gently.

A curry boiling in a kadai.
Bring to a boil
Cooked duck added to a gravy in a kadai.
Add the duck pieces back to the masala

When the meat is cooked, add a little more vinegar or wine and let it simmer till the grease floats at the top of the vessel. Then lastly, add in the garam masala.

A teaspoon of Garam Masala added to a vessel cooking duck.
Add a teaspoon of garam masala

Stir it in and let it cook on slow heat for a while longer. And that’s it, your duck moile is ready to eat! Doesn’t it look delicious? My sis loves the natural oils from the duck. Sometimes we collect it and use it to fry eggs, other times we just enjoy the duck oil along with the moile curry. You know, natural fats being good for you and all that.

Cooked duck moile in a kadai.
Duck Moile is ready

Serve with a fresh salad or some sliced onions and lemon. Foogias to soak up the gravy or tasty chitaps or white rice turns it into the perfect meal. If you want a drink that goes really well with it, try my spicy chili wine!

Duck Moile in a black kadai next to rice, lime and onion slices in bowls.
Delicious duck moile
Duck Moile in a black vessel on a red platform.
Duck moile
East Indian Duck Moile in a bowl next to boiled rice and onion and lemon in bowls.
East Indian Duck Moile
East Indian Duck Moile in a bowl next to boiled rice and onion and lemon in bowls.

East Indian Duck Moile Curry

Sarah
Duck Moile is a traditional East Indian dish that is full of flavour. Tender and juicy slow-cooked meat is served with rice, foogias, hand breads, or chitaps, and a cooling salad for the perfect meal!
5 out of 5 Stars by 7 readers!

Click the stars to add your rating! Left you don’t like it, right you love it!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Christmas, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine East Indian
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 756 kcal
Gluten free icon on Abbyshearth.com website.
Poultry icon on Abbyshearth.com website.

Ingredients
  

To wash the Duck

  • 1 Litres Water
  • 2 Tablespoons Vinegar

Green Masala

  • 500 Grams Onions Cut in rings
  • 1 Inch Ginger Cut in strips
  • 6 Green Chilies Cut in strips
  • 10 Garlic Cloves or Garlic Flakes Cut in strips

To cook the Duck

  • 2 Kilograms Duck 1 Duck, cut in pieces
  • 3 Tablespoons Ghee (Indian clarified butter)
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons East Indian Bottle Masala See notes.
  • 500 millilitres Water or Wine
  • 4 Tablespoons Vinegar or Wine
  • 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
  • 2 teaspoons Salt Add more or less salt as required.

Instructions
 

Wash the Duck

  • Wash the duck pieces in water mixed with vinegar a few times and then drain.

Green Masala

  • Cut the onions into rings. Cut the garlic, ginger, and green chilies into strips and keep aside for later.

Cook the Duck

  • Put the pieces of duck in a kadai or deep pot with salt and cook till the water that is released from the duck gets absorbed back in or evaporates for about 20 minutes.
  • Add 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) and fry the meat for another 10 minutes till the duck is browned. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and cook until the sugar melts.
  • Remove the duck meat into another vessel and keep it aside for later.
  • Add the onion rings to the same vessel with the ghee in it and fry till soft and translucent for about 15 minutes.
  • Now, add the cut ginger, garlic, and chilies and fry for about 5 minutes.
  • Add 2 dessert spoons of bottle masala and fry gently for about 5 minutes till the masala is nicely fried and smells good. Add more masala if you want it more spicy.
  • Add a little water or wine and when it boils in 5 to 10 minutes add the duck pieces back to the vessel.
  • Cover with a lid and simmer on a low flame for 5 minutes.
  • When the meat is cooked, add vinegar or wine and let it simmer till the duck grease comes to the top.
  • Add 2 teaspoons of garam masala and salt and stir, cook for 20 more minutes on a low flame.
  • And your duck moile is ready!

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Video

Notes

  • Female ducks are generally plumper and more tasty than male ducks. 
  • Cut the onions, ginger, garlic, and green chilies before you start cooking the duck.
  • Depending on the country you’re in, you can buy bottle masala from any of the sellers on this list
  • You can use only wine instead of vinegar and water when cooking.
  • Add fried potatoes if you like, at the end of the cook.
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Nutrition (Per Serving)

Calories: 756kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 572mg | Potassium: 422mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 281IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 4mg

Disclaimer: Nutrition Information per serving is estimated by a third party software based on the ingredients used, and is for informational purposes only. It will vary from product to product, based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients. Please consult the package labels of the ingredients you use, or chat with your dietician for specific details.

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Duck Moile served in a bowl next to a bowl of rice and onions.
Duck Moile ready to serve

Cooking Tips & Tricks

  • Female ducks are somehow tastier and plumper than male ducks, so try to get a female duck.
  • Cut the onions, ginger, garlic, and green chilies before you start cooking the duck. Or while it’s browning.
  • You can use wine instead of vinegar when cooking this moile curry. This adds more flavour.
  • Add fried potatoes if you like, after you finish cooking the duck. When we add them, we do it while adding the bottle masala.  
  • This recipe can also be made with chicken, ox tongue or beef (buffalo in Maharashtra).
  • Always tastes best the next day!
  • Serve with foogias, chitaps, or plain rice.
  • Other recipes you might try are kasuri methi, chicken tope, mustard chicken, chicken soup, giblet stuffing, and chicken gizzard.
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Duck moile with potatoes.
Sometimes we add potatoes

FAQ’s About Duck Moile

Is Duck Difficult To Cook?

No, duck is not difficult to cook. In fact, duck easy and quick to cook as the meat itself is quite lean and the layer of fat beneath the skin dissolves nicely when cooked well.

How To Cook Duck To Make Moile?

To know how to cook duck moile, read our recipe given above. All you have to do is cook the duck in its own juices with salt, then add ghee, sugar, vinegar or wine, the fresh green masalas, and cook again till it is ready. It’s really simple and easy.

How Is Duck Best Cooked?

Duck meat taste’s best when it is slow-cooked till the meat is tender and juicy.

How Long Can You Store Cooked Duck?

Cooked duck can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for 4 to 6 months. In our parents’ days, they used the old earthen pots called formas and would store them outside for days.

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