When we give someone a complicated recipe, we usually provide exact details to assist them in preparing it correctly. We include notes to ensure they don’t make the same mistakes that we did when we made it the first time and often the recipes we give to others are longer and more detailed than the ones we got because we know where the difficulties lie. It’s not only a matter of good manners, it’s called compassion. Why is it, then, that the world refuses to see how cruel it’s being to the people of Africa when it comes to the question of Aid?  The world hands over money to countries ruled by despots that head corruption riddled

governments. Money isn’t aid, nor will it help in any way – the money goes straight into the pockets of the people in power because the people in power don’t have the mental ability to understand that they are decimating their own populations. Food handed over to African Aid organizations also doesn’t help. Africa needs the kind of help given by a handful of European organizations that have made the effort to go into the countries themselves, hand out the aid themselves and teach the masses of education starved people how to do things. They make sure that people are fed, that people learn how to farm and that schools are being built and teachers educated. Even in a country like South Africa, corruption is has grown to the extent that children are now so severely disadvantaged that hundreds of thousands are starving. People like Oprah have to be commended for the way she has approached her school – granted she made a mistake at first by handing over the management of the money to an African lady incapable of honesty, but now she has her finger on the pulse and travels great distances to make sure she’s there for her girls whenever they need her. That is the kind of project that will help – but it takes effort, enormous effort and it takes time, enormous time. It would be so much easier simply to hand over the money to clear the conscience, wouldn’t it? After all, we know we raped Africa and we know when there was nothing left, we turned our backs and we ran. Today a recipe for duck to deviate from the usual crispy duck or duck a l’orange theme  - here’s a duck with a difference.

KASHMIRI BATAK

Spicy Stewed Duck with Black Cherries and Walnuts

Ingredients

• 1 large 2,5 kg duck, skin removed & cut into about 8 pieces
• 500 g pitted black cherries
• 200 ml walnuts (the Indian black walnuts would be nicer)
• 2 tablespoons ginger paste (I buy mine from the supermarket & it works perfectly)
• 2 tablespoons fresh, crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil – you can use canola or grapeseed oil as well
• 1 small red onion, cut in half and finely sliced
• 6 large black cardamoms
• 2 fresh bay leaves (dried will do if you haven’t got any fresh ones)
• 2 cinnamon sticks – each about 6 cm in length
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, ground
• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method

• Combine the duck, the ginger paste, the crushed garlic, ½ teaspoons of coarse salt and the turmeric in a large bowl and make sure all the duck pieces are completely covered with the mixture – use your hands if necessary.
• Cover well and pack in the fridge over night.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the duck pieces and include any of the spice mixture that is left.
• Place the pieces side by side, the meaty side at the bottom and sear until the meat is a caramel brown – this will take about 10 minutes.
• Now turn the meat over – in other words, turn the bony side onto the pan and allow the meat on that side to brown as well – this, however, will only take about 4 minutes.
• Remove the duck and put in  plate for now.
• In the same pan, add the onion, the cardamom pods, the bay leaves, the cinnamon sticks and about ½ cup of water to the saucepan.
• Scrape all the bits to deglaze so that all the meat that was stuck to the pan can be released.
• Raise the heat a little and reduce the liquid by half.
• Into that liquid, stir the ground fennel, the chillies, the ginger and about ½ a teaspoon of salt – cooking for a few seconds.
• Now pour in about 1 ½ cups of water and stir in the cherries and the walnuts, heating the liquid to a boil.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the duck pieces putting the meat side down.
• If any liquid accumulated on the plate whilst the duck was resting, add that to the saucepan as well.
• Baste the duck continuously whilst you cook it for the next 30 – 40 minutes.
• You  need to cook it until the meat is tender and the duck is no longer pink inside.
• Transfer the duck to your serving dish and cover well.
• Raise the heat under the skillet to cook the remaining liquid until it is thick – this should take about 10 minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the duck, garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.