When I checked my phone a couple days ago, the first thing that pops up on my feed is Canadian NDP leader Jagmeet Singh had shared his recipe for his Indian style poutine. That got me thinking, what if I  make my own Asian style poutine? Taking a rift on the old Canadian classic and mixing with some ingredients from Asia (while making it healthy).

For my take on this Canadian dish, I want to add duck as my protein. If you can’t find duck, chicken will do just fine. For the gravy, I want to add something else that helps binds the ingredients together while elevating the taste. I decided to add mushroom for its earthy, rich taste and a classic sauce that is used for almost all Asian cuisine; Hoisin sauce. It provides a dark, sweet and salty flavor that compliments very well with the duck. This is my Asian approach on Canada’s famous dish. Now tell me. Which poutine is better? Mine or Jagmeet’s.

Ingredients

• 5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut 
• Vegetable oil
• 2 duck breasts
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 bunch enoki mushroom, washed, cut into 3s
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 cups of cheese curds
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F (176C).

In 2 baking trays with parchment paper, add potatoes and duck and bake for 15-18 minutes. Take out the duck and leave the potatoes to bake for additional 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Leave the duck to cool. Once cooled, shred the breast into thin pieces. Set aside. 

For the gravy, melt butter in a saucepan. Add garlic and onions and sweat for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for additional 7-8 minutes. Add cornstarch and cook for another 3 minutes. Once the mushroom mix is evenly covered with cornstarch, add chicken broth and hoisin sauce and simmer until thickened. Season with salt and pepper if needed. 

To assemble, add the potatoes, duck and cheese curds. Pour a generous amount of gravy (because that stuff tastes so good).