What an AWESOME dish! I just love Indian food and so does Brian. I have taken two trips to India for medical missions and the food always amazes me. It is so full of flavor, a little bit spicy and with some sort of meat, but you really weren’t sure what it was. We were always told it was chicken, but sometimes I swore the rabbit cages had one less rabbit, or maybe one less stray dog today?! Not really sure…

However, with this recipe I’m sure YOU can use the meat of choice! I enjoy using venison; either hunted by friends or family! I grew up eating it and look forward to a great meal prepared with it. It is a little rarer these days, but I hope it picks up since Hubby would like to start bow hunting in winter with my expert bow hunter, Pap (grandfather). A HUGE added benefit is that the meat is free (minus the lost arrows during the previous unfruitful weeks of hunting!), tasty, and truly organic! 😉

I know a lot of people have complained it tastes gamey, but depending on how it is prepared, you would never notice. Granted we don’t usually have venison steaks so I can’t argue that claim. We tend to serve it cubed, diced, ground or chopped and add into tasty dishes.

This particular dish DEFINITELY hides the gamey taste (as you say) because of all the strong and flavorful spices. If you like Indian food or are up for tasting something new, give it a try! Let me know how it turns out for you!

Venison Vindaloo
Vindaloo is considered the fieriest of all Indian Cooking styles!

Raita:
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
¾ cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala (this is a spice and can be found in the Indian food section. They do carry this at Wegmans)

Vindaloo:
1 ½ cups thinly sliced sweet onion
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ tsp black pepper
½ – 1 tsp ground red pepper – to taste
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 TBSP cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced – I always use a lot more; maybe 4-6 cloves. We LOVE garlic!
1 ½ lbs cubed venison
Coconut oil
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
4 ½ cups hot cooked brown basmati rice

To prepare raita, spoon yogurt into cheese cloth (or if you don’t have one you can use several layers of heavy-duty paper towels); spread to ½ inch thickness. Cover; let stand for 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl using a spatula. Stir in cucumber, ¼ tsp salt and garam masala. Cover and refrigerate.

To prepare vindaloo, combine onion and next 13 ingredients (though venison) in a large bowl; marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Overnight is even better.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with coconut oil. Add venison mixture; sauté for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in tomato. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until venison is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with raita and rice.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size – ½ cup vindaloo, ¼ cup raita, and ¼ cup rice).

The original recipe also says to add ¾ cup chopped seeded tomato to the raita, but I don’t really like it that way and if there is any leftover it doesn’t store very well. Also, the original recipe calls for boneless pork loin, but I prefer venison and think it tastes so much better. You could also use steak if you prefer. I don’t really think chicken would work too well, but I’ve never tried it!

I really like the naan that Trader Joe’s sells, and sometimes we splurge and get some for this meal. Although I don’t think we’ve had it since Brian’s diet has changed! It really adds a lot to it and is such a treat! The boys especially really like the naan… well… we all do! 😉 I’m sure I could figure out how to make it myself and I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard…

Hmmm…. Food for another future post!!!!

आप का खाना स्वादिष्ट हो
(Hindi equivalent to Bon Appétit)
Pronunciation: āp kā khānā svādiṣṭa ho
Exact translation: “You get delicious food”