Preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the venison
- 300g/10½oz tender venison fillet
- 1 tbsp Shaosing rice wine
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- pinch sea salt
- pinch ground black pepper
- pinch caster sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lime, juice only
For the jungle curry paste
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 8 Thai shallots
- 2 small red or yellow chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 4 cayenne chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 2.5 cm/1in piece galangal, peeled and roughly chopped (or shop-bought paste is fine)
- 1 cm/½in piece fresh turmeric
- 1 stick lemongrass, outer leaves removed, bruised, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp shrimp paste
- pinch sea salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
For the aubergine jungle curry
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 medium purple aubergines, cut into 2cm/¾ in
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, spine removed, shredded
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 400ml/14fl oz tin coconut milk
- 200g/7oz French beans, washed, sliced into 1 cm/½in slices
For the lemongrass and lime leaf-infused jasmine rice
- 200ml/7fl oz water
- 350ml/12fl oz chicken stock
- 300g/10½oz Thai jasmine rice, washed well
- 1 stick lemongrass, bruised and sliced
- 1 kaffir lime leaf
For the pickled Thai shallots
- 1–2 small baby Thai shallots, peeled and finely sliced into rings
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
For the sabal oelek (can be shop-bought)
- 400g/14oz chillies
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 50g/1¾oz piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 stalks lemongrass, outer husk removed, bruised and finely sliced
- 100ml/3½fl oz rice vinegar
- 5 tsp caster sugar
- 3 large pinches salt
- 1 tbsp finely grated lime zest
For the garnish
- micro coriander leaves
- crispy fried shallots (optional)
- 1 fresh banana leaf
- 1 fresh bamboo leaf
- lime wedges
Method
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To make the pickled Thai shallots, peel and slice the shallot and add to a bowl. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge.
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If making the sabal oelek, blend the garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass and vinegar in a food processor or pestle and mortar until a paste forms.
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Tip the paste into a wok with the vinegar and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Season with salt and lime zest. Spoon oil, blast chill and then place in jars.
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To make the jungle curry paste, place all the ingredients in a food procesor and blend to a rough paste.
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To make the curry, heat a wok over a high heat. Add the vegetable oil, all the curry paste and cook until you have a dry paste. Add the aubergines and fry for a few minutes, coating the aubergines well with the paste. Add the lime leaves, fish sauce and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
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Add the coconut milk and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, until the aubergines are very soft and the curry becomes thick. Add the French beans for the last 3 minutes of the cooking time.
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Slice the venison into ½cm slices, season with salt and pepper and dust with cornflour.
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Heat a wok over a high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the venison strips and sear for 10–15 seconds on one side, before flipping to sear on the other side.
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Pour in the Shaosing rice wine to deglaze the pan and season with fish sauce mixed with sugar and lime juice.
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Method for the lemongrass and lime leaf infused jasmine rice ??
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Serve the venison with the aubergine jungle curry and with a side of lemongrass and lime infused rice, sambal oelek and pickled Thai baby shallots, lime wedge, micro coriander and crispy fried shallots, if using.