Executive Chef Joseph of Karma Kandara shares his new obsession, Matoa that is the centerpiece of his delicious Crispy Ubud Dirty Duck Salad!
About Matoa (pometia pinnata), he explains it is a fruit plant typical of Pupua and a member of the lychee family. The fruits are also referred to as the ‘typical fruit from Papua’.
Says Joseph: I love this fruit because it’s very similar to lychee, however it carries a faint aroma of the floral qualities of durian.’ He adds that besides being absolutely delicious, matoa also has many benefits for health and beauty.
He explains that Matoa contains antioxidants known to prevent free radical damage in the body. Matoa is also said to be high in Vitamin E which increases female fertility, and is also a known skin rejuvenator.
Adds Joseph: ‘I am not sure if it’s the high concentration of vitamin C or simply because these taste so good, but in my experience adding matoa to your day will lower one’s stress levels.’
Crispy Ubud Dirty Duck Salad
Matoa, coconut, red chilies, kemangi, sticky tamarind dressing.
Inspiration – In Ubud there is a famous restaurant called Bebek Bengil. Which translates in Bahasa Bali as “Duck- Dirty” aka Dirty Duck. It opened in 1990 featuring authentic Balinese cuisine including crispy fried duck. It has been a top tourist destination for foreigners, presidents and even Mick Jagger. The following recipe is sure to live up to its own rock star status!
Composing the duck salad
Ingredients:
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cut into 12 pieces as above
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Just enough to lightly dust all sides
Methods:
- Pre heat your deep fryer or heavy bottom pot with oil to 204 degrees Celsius.
- Lightly coat the pre-cooked duck pieces in flour and gently place in the fryer for about 5-6 minutes until crispy.
- Remove the duck from the fryer and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
- Carefully, as the duck will still be hot shred the meat & skin into pieces approximately 1 cm wide by 4cm long. Place into a salad mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and salad dressing to your liking. I like this salad to be a little wet with dressing because the warm duck will absorb it.
- Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
- Place on a serving plate and garnish with a little bit more toasted coconut, kemangi leaves and edible flowers if you have them freely available
Duck Marinate
Ingredients:
Methods:
- Cut the duck into twelve one inch pieces leaving on the bone. Think Chinese food.
- In a blender puree the turmeric, ginger, garlic and toasted coriander seeds until it becomes a paste.
- Season the duck pieces with salt and white pepper to evenly distribute
- Add the turmeric garlic paste and coat evenly.
- Cover in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.
Duck – Precook
The next day:
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
- Place the duck and marinate in an oven proof pan and cover with aluminium foil.
- Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and tender.
- Remove from the oven, strain off the liquid and discard.
- Place the cooked duck in another pan and let cool to room temperature.
Sticky Tamarind Dressing
Ingredients:
Methods:
- Over medium heat in a heavy bottom pot melt the sugar until caramelised.
- Add the coconut water, water from lychee can, matoa, tamarind pulp, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and all the dried spices. Reduce by half
- Strain through fine sieve mesh into a mixing bowl.
- Add the fish gravy, lime juice, salt and white pepper to taste.
- Let cool to room temperature and place in a squeeze bottle for easy usage
Matoa Martini
Kariana our Bar Manager at Karma Kandara created this cocktail as a variation to the classic lychee martini. Kariana says the fresh squeezed lemon juice heightens the flavour of the matoa fruit while adding a nice refreshing acidic finish to a perfect cocktail to sip on at the beach!
Makes 1 Epic Martini
Ingredients:
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approximately 8 grams
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approximately 15ml
Garnish:
Methods:
- Start by chilling a martini glass by filling with ice and cold water.
- In a bar shaker, muddle the lemongrass and matoa to a pulp
- Add the vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup.
- Add ice and shake well.
- Dump out the ice water from the martini glass.
- Double Strain and pour into the chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with 3 pieces of matoa on a lemongrass stalk.
*Kariana also suggests if you are not a fan of vodka, you may switch the spirit with a neutral dry gin or even better yet our new Karma Travellers Gin which highlights the many different botanicals from the various regions within the karma resorts.
