Venison badal jaam

FILIM Venison
Not yet rated

Combining a Lucknow dish of badal jaam (aubergine in a spiced tomato sauce) and venison marinated in spices and vinegar (a technique from Rajasthan), this cross-pollination of regional Indian flavours and techniques results in a beautiful plate of food that's smoky, hot and fresh all at the same time.

Watch Dayashankar and dozens of our other chefs show you how to create the dishes they love as part of our Signature Series here.

First published in 2021

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Venison

Tomato sauce

Aubergine

Cream cheese

To serve (optional)

Method

1

Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, Kashmiri chillies, black peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon. Toast the spices for a minute until fragrant, then transfer to a blender or spice grinder. Blitz to a powder, reserve a small amount of the spice mix to garnish, then combine the rest with the malt vinegar, ginger-garlic paste and oil to create a paste

2

Place the venison in a bowl and add a few tablespoons of the spice paste, along with the red chilli powder, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Massage the marinade into the venison and set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes

3

Meanwhile, make the tomato chutney. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cut a small cross in the base of each tomato. Blanch the tomatoes for 30 seconds, then drain and peel. Finely chop the flesh

4

Heat a dash of oil in a saucepan and add the tomatoes, ginger, green chilli, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and you’re left with a thick sauce. Add the coriander leaves and keep warm

5

For the cream cheese, simply mix all the ingredients together and place in a piping bag if you have one

6

Cut the aubergine into 8 thick slices and place on a tray or plate. Sprinkle with salt on both sides, then add a squeeze of lemon. Sprinkle over the turmeric and chilli powder, rubbing it into the aubergines, then drizzle with oil

7

Preheat an oven to 230°C/gas mark 8 (or higher, if your oven allows it) and place a very large frying pan (or 2 smaller frying pans) over a high heat. Thread the marinated venison onto metal skewers, then arrange them on a wire rack

8

Fry the aubergine in the frying for around 10 minutes on each side until soft and golden. When they’re nearly ready, add the venison to the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes (or slightly longer if you don’t like your meat rare)

9

To serve, place 2 slices of aubergine on each plate and top with the tomato chutney. Arrange the venison on top, then pipe or spoon on some cream cheese. Garnish with cress, radish, sorrel and a pinch of the reserved spice mix

First published in 2021

A master of subtle, balanced spicing and with plenty of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants under his belt, Dayashankar Sharma cooks regional Indian dishes with panache at Heritage in Dulwich.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.