We butchered 4 mule deer last year and my freezer is full of scraps of meat with sinewy bits that were too much of a pain to grind in our mediocre grinder but too good to waste. It occurred to me that venison might be a good substitute for other tough, gamey meat such as goat or lamb, so I went to the Internet to investigate. I found a multitude of goat or lamb curry dishes that essentially use the same ingredients in varying combinations. Here's what I came up with after some experimentation.
The recipe is pretty forgiving. If you don't have canned tomatoes, fresh are fine. Tomato sauce is fine (makes a creamy mouthfeel). Don't like tomatoes? Use just coconut milk. Adding a can or two of coconut milk or coconut cream to the mix with the tomatoes is also nice, although this much liquid makes the concoction more soupy and it has a tendency to curdle unless you add it at the end. Sometimes I add a little stevia to sweeten it.
2 lbs venison or goat or lamb, chopped (any red meat would be fine)
2 onions, chopped
1.5 inch knob of ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Indian bay leaf (Tej Patta)
1-2 T coconut oil or olive oil or ghee
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 T ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. salt
1-5 hot peppers, chopped, depending on your pain tolerance
28 oz canned tomatoes OR 28 oz coconut milk, or a combination thereof
Fresh chopped cilantro
Heat oil in Dutch oven and add spices. Cook in oil until fragrant. Add venison in batches until browned. Remove from pan and add onions. Cook until onions begin to caramelize. Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro).
Cook at low heat in oven at 350 or at medium heat on the top of the stove for several hours until meat is tender.
When I use frozen venison, I skip the searing step and just throw everything (frozen meat chunk and all) into an Instant Pot for 90 minutes on high heat.
Serve with chopped cilantro.
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