Vietnamese Poached Pheasant with Ginger-Garlic Rice

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Written by Jenny and Rick Wheatley Visit : Visit authors website

Ingredients

Vietnamese Poached Pheasant with Ginger-Garlic Rice

1 whole Pheasant, skin on preferably but not required

1 onion, halved

3 inches of fresh ginger, cut in half lengthwise

10 cup(s) water

1/4 tsp whole peppercorns

Sliced English cucumber

Rice

2 cup(s) uncooked jasmine rice

2 to 3 tbsp rendered duck fat

1 tbsp minced ginger

3 clove(s) garlic, minced

Kosher salt, to taste

Ground white pepper, to taste

Sauce

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 clove(s) garlic, minced

1 or 2 birds eye chilies, minced

2 tbsp minced ginger

Instructions

Vietnamese Poached Pheasant with Ginger-Garlic Rice

Step #2 - Remove skin from pheasant, if any, and set aside. Place the skinned bird in a pot with onion, ginger, peppercorns and enough water to submerge the pheasant. Turn on heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast reads 145°F. Immediately remove the pheasant, sprinkle salt on the meat and set aside to cool.

Step #3 - Cook the rice according to package direction using some of the poaching liquid.

Step #4 - Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients. Adjust to taste– there should be balance between sour, sweet and salty.

Step #5 - If you have pheasant skin, add a tiny bit of duck fat to a cold pan and lay down the skin. Turn on the heat to medium, and render the skin until it becomes golden and crispy, flipping occasionally. Set aside.

Step #6 - Heat the remaining duck fat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of minced ginger and 3 cloves of minced garlic, and sauté for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant; do not brown. Add the cooked rice and saute for a few minutes until heated through. I like my rice a little bit on the greasier side, so add or subtract duck fat to taste. Season with white pepper and a pinch of salt.

Step #7 - Pack the rice into a small bowl and then flip over onto a plate. Enjoy the pheasant cold or gently reheat by dipping the meat into the remaining hot poaching liquid. Remove breasts from the pheasant and cut against the grain. Keep the leg and thigh intact or separate them. Chop the crispy pheasant skin, if any, and sprinkle them over the rice. Serve with sliced cucumber and the sauce on the side. To eat, sauce should be drizzled over the rice. Dip the pheasant pieces into the sauce to eat.