Pheasant Makhani
When you think about Indian cuisine, game meat doesn’t immediately spring to mind but hunting and Indian food goes way back to the days of the Nawabs and Mughal Princes. Whilst hunting, they’d catch game and cook it whilst on the go…. there are also over 46 different pheasant species across the Indian subcontinent. So I’ve decided to ‘go wild’ and cook up a mouth watering Pheasant Makhani (think Butter Pheasant) using a mix of diced pheasant breast and thigh meat all bathed in a rich velvety sauce, yoghurt, garam masala, ginger, garlic and chillies…it’s a regal dish and I think you’ll love it. I like using game meat that’s been assured for its provenance and quality by the British Game Alliance, so look out for the Game Alliance assured stamp when buying meat like pheasant.
This recipe is great if you like chucking everything in a bowl and a pan and emerge with a dish that’ll seduce your taste buds.
Serves 4
• 500g skinless boneless pheasant breast and thigh meat, diced
For the marinade
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1-2 tsp chilli powder
• 200g whole greek yoghurt
For the curry
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tbs ginger and garlic paste
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground fenugreek
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp fried curry leaves for garnishing
• Nigella seeds for garnishing
• 2 tsp butter
How To Make Pheasant Makha
ni
- In a medium bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients with some seasoning. Toss the pheasant pieces in the marinade and cover all the tikka pieces thoroughly.. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hr or overnight.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic paste, green chilli, ginger and some seasoning. Fry on a medium heat for 10 mins or until soft.
- Add the spices with the tomato purée, cook for a further 2 mins until fragrant. Now take off the heat, allow to cool a little and then pulp with a blender.
- Return the masala pulp back to the heat and add the stock and marinated pheasant. Stir well, cover and cook over a low heat for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the pieces have become tender and easy to mins, drop in the butter, then sprinkle with the toasted curry leaves and nigella seeds.
- Serve with rice, Rajasthani salad, coriander and lime wedges, if you like.
Pheasant Makhani
When you think about Indian cuisine, game meat doesn’t immediately spring to mind but hunting and Indian food goes way back to the days of the Nawabs and Mughal Princes. Whilst hunting, they’d catch game and cook it whilst on the go…. there are also over 46 different pheasant species across the Indian subcontinent. So I’ve decided to ‘go wild’ and cook up a mouth watering Pheasant Makhani (think Butter Pheasant) using a mix of diced pheasant breast and thigh meat all bathed in a rich velvety sauce, yoghurt, garam masala, ginger, garlic and chillies…it’s a regal dish and I think you’ll love it. I like using game meat that’s been assured for its provenance and quality by the British Game Alliance, so look out for the Game Alliance assured stamp when buying meat like pheasant.
This recipe is great if you like chucking everything in a bowl and a pan and emerge with a dish that’ll seduce your taste buds.
Serves 4
• 500g skinless boneless pheasant breast and thigh meat, diced
For the marinade
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1-2 tsp chilli powder
• 200g whole greek yoghurt
For the curry
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tbs ginger and garlic paste
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground fenugreek
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp fried curry leaves for garnishing
• Nigella seeds for garnishing
• 2 tsp butter
Got a particular ingredient or dish in mind? Try searching for it...
