A Chiclayo classic of green rice and tender duck. Cilantro, loche squash, and chicha de jora build a deep northern Peruvian base that seasons every grain without making the dish heavy.
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Finely chop the onion and garlic, remove the veins and seeds from the ají amarillo and chop it very finely, then grate the loche squash. Blend the cilantro with a small portion of the water until smooth and intensely green. Have everything ready before the duck goes on the heat.
Pat the duck pieces thoroughly dry and season them with part of the salt. Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the duck for 8 to 10 minutes, starting skin-side down and turning until it has deeply browned edges. Remove the duck; if it rendered a large amount of fat, leave only enough in the pot to cook the seasoning base.
In the same pot, cook the onion for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft, translucent, and just beginning to brown at the edges. Add the garlic, ají amarillo, and loche squash and cook for another 6 minutes, stirring until the seasoning base looks thick and glossy. Stir in the blended cilantro and cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, until its raw aroma fades and the green color deepens.
Pour in the chicha de jora and boil for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, until its aroma becomes rounder and less sharp. Return the duck, add most of the remaining water, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 35 to 45 minutes, until the meat feels tender when pressed near the joint and reaches at least 74°C / 165°F at the thickest point.
Remove the duck and keep it covered. Check that roughly 650 to 700 ml of cooking liquid remains in the pot: if there is too much, boil uncovered for a few minutes; if there is too little, top it up with the reserved water. Add the rice, peas, and remaining salt, stir once, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 16 to 18 minutes, until no liquid is visible and the rice is tender and separate, not mushy.
Set the duck back over the rice, turn off the heat, and let everything rest covered for 7 minutes. Gently fluff the rice from the edges without crushing the grains, then serve one duck piece over each portion. If the rice is green, fragrant, and separate and the duck is tender, it came out exactly as it should. And that’s it—bring it to the table while it is still hot.
