venison and coconut curry

Lovers of red meat should eat more venison, as it’s a lean and healthy protein. Serve with black or red rice, Jewelled freekeh and/or cauliflower couscous. It’s good topped with a couple of tablespoons of dry-fried unsweetened desiccated coconut.

Serves 4

1 tbsp set coconut oil

2 small red onions, finely sliced (200g)

1 cinnamon stick (about 4cm long)

2 star anise

500g venison fillet, cut into bite-sized strips

300ml coconut water

Grated zest of 1 lime and juice of ½ lime

2 tbsp dry-fried unsweetened, desiccated coconut

For the spice paste

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 50g fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 heaped tsp flaky sea salt
• 4 cloves
• 1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
• 1 level tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 level tsp cumin seeds
• 1 heaped tsp garam masala
• 3 heaped tbsp tomato purée

Using a pestle and mortar, crush all the paste ingredients except the tomato purée into a paste. Then stir in the tomato purée.

Melt the coconut oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, cinnamon

stick and star anise, and stir and cook until the onions are golden. Add the spice paste to the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the meat and briskly sauté for 3 or 4 minutes to seal. Then add the coconut water, lime zest and lime juice and bring to a rapid simmer for 5 minutes, or until you have a thickish gravy.

Serve immediately scattered with dry-fried coconut.

This recipe originally appeared in Good Good Food.