Slow Cooked Venison Curry & Beetroot Raita

Recipe from Martin Hill

This Wilder Diced Venison is a versatile cut with a big flavour, perfect for slow cooking. This curry has deep complex spicing and a slight sharpness from tamarind resulting in an incredibly moreish dish. Served alongside some fresh herby beetroot raita.

Venison is a lean meat so home cooks sometimes worry about it becoming tough during cooking. The best way to cook venison (or any lean meat) is hot and fast, leaving it a little pink in the middle or low and slow like this recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g Diced Venison
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Onion, finely sliced
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Bulb Garlic, peeled
75g Ginger, peeled
1 Red Chilli
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
4 Tomatoes, skins removed and diced
1 tbsp Tamarind Concentrate
½ Tin Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Brown Sugar

For the Garam Masala

1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
2 Black Cardamom Pods
4 Green Cardamom Pods
2 Cloves
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
2 Star Anise
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika

Or

3 tbsp of premixed Garam Masala

For the Raita

2 Cooked Beetroot
30g Mint, finely chopped
5 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp Toasted Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Method

• If making the garam masala: Toast the whole spices in a pan and grind into a fine powder with the smoked paprika and set aside
• Preheat your oven to 150C.
• Add your diced venison to a bowl with 2 tsp ground cumin,1 tbsp of smoked paprika and a good pinch of salt. Coat the venison in the seasoning.
• Heat a casserole dish with some oil. Sear the venison on both sides then remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the onion, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds and gently sweat for 5 mins. Blend the garlic, ginger and chilli into a smooth paste with a splash of water. Then add to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the tomato puree and garam masala.
• Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, tamarind and sugar to the pan along with a good pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes have softened, then add the venison back into the pan. Add a splash of water and place in the oven to cook slowly for around 3 hours.
• Make your raita by cutting some cooked beetroot into a small dice. Combine in a bowl with the chopped mint, yoghurt, toasted cumin seeds, olive oil and a good pinch of salt.
• Now serve your delicious slow-cooked venison curry alongside the beetroot raita.