Venison kofta

• bread↗1 slice of
• venison↗500g g

  mince (ask your butcher to grind the mince twice to give it a smooth, fine texture)

• chopped coriander3 tbsp tbsp

  leaves

• medium green chillies↗5

  chopped (or fewer if you don’t like it too hot)

• clove↗1

  ground

• 1/4 tsp each freshly roasted and ground cardamom

  and cassia bark (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

• small white onion↗1

  finely chopped

• egg↗1
• vegetable oil↗

  for deep-frying

• naan bread↗

  to serve

• oil5 tbsp tbsp
• whole dried red chillies↗2

  each broken in half

• cloves↗2
• green cardamom↗1
• medium onions↗3

  chopped

• ginger and garlic paste1 tbsp
• ground turmeric↗¼ tsp
• ground coriander↗2 tsp
• tomato purée↗2 tbsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bread in water. Squeeze out all the liquid, then break up the bread and mix it with the venison mince, 1 tsp salt and the rest of the kofta ingredients except for 1 tbsp of the green chillies.

2. 2

   Shape the mixture into small oval portions around the size of a golf ball. Heat a saucepan or wok no more than 1/3 full of oil until it is hot but not smoking and a cube of bread browns in 30 secs. Deep-fry the kofta in batches until they darken in colour, then set them aside on kitchen paper.

3. 3

   To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan, add the dried red chillies, cloves, cardamom, onions, and ginger and garlic paste, and sauté until the onion turns golden brown. Add the turmeric and coriander powder, then 30 secs later add 2 tbsp of water to prevent the onions and spices from burning. Lower the heat, then add the tomato purée.

4. 4

   To ensure there are no raw spices, sauté until the oil separates from the mixture, then add 250ml of water and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the kofta to the sauce and simmer gently, uncovered, for another 8-10 mins, turning the kofta very gently a few times. Garnish with green chillies before serving with naan bread.