spice girl
Warm your cockles with a fragrant, flavour-packed braise featuring a star New Zealand meat.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
½ cup plain flour
sea salt and ground pepper
750 grams grass-fed slow-cook venison, diced
2 tablespoons rice bran oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
¼ cup oyster sauce
¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 whole star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
½ cup beef stock
½ cup coconut cream
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed, or use small portobello mushrooms
To serve
½ cup crispy roasted shallots
New Zealand farmed venison is nature’s superpower protein, packed with nutritional goodness. Low in fat and saturated fat, it’s a source of high-quality protein, so it aids growth and cell repair and helps you feel full for longer. Venison’s high levels of easily absorbed iron are essential for overall health and staving off anaemia and fatigue – and venison contains more iron than beef or lamb. Its rich stores of zinc are key for immunity and brain development, and it’s also a good source of B vitamins, including B12, riboflavin and niacin – all of which are important for sustaining energy levels and boosting immunity. In fact, New Zealand venison is something of a hero meat. It contains no hormones or steroids, so you can feel good about putting it in your body. Plus, because Kiwi deer farmers have such a strong focus on sustainable farming practices, you’re doing the right thing for the planet, too.
We love venison in this gorgeous wintery braise, full of moreish savoury flavours and fall-off-the-fork tender meat. But it’s easy to cook in a variety of ways. As a naturally lean meat, venison requires no trimming before cooking, so it’s great for quick meals on the go. Try it flash-fried and sliced across the grain to fill tacos or sandwiches, replace your regular beef steak with a delicious venison medallion, drape slices over a salad or mince it for burgers with plenty of thyme, garlic and onions. It also makes a glorious roast, first seared in a pan, then roasted at a lower temperature than usual until just tender. For more recipes and inspiration, visit nzvenison.com/recipes.
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 130°C regular bake.
Put the flour in a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Toss the venison in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the venison in batches. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a medium casserole dish. Don’t let the flour catch and burn, and add more oil to the pan as needed.
Add the onions to the frying pan with a good pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if the pan is too dry.
Stir in the garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, star anise and cinnamon sticks and bring to the boil, scraping the base of the pan to release any sticky bits. Add the beef stock and coconut cream and bring to the boil. Return the meat and any juices to the pan and combine. Cover tightly with a lid. Braise for 2 hours, then add the mushrooms to the pan, pushing them down into the sauce. Cover and continue to cook for 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender.
Serve with steamed Asian greens and hot cooked rice.
Delight your tastebuds with New Zealand’s healthiest red meat. Find New Zealand venison in supermarkets nationwide and online. nzvenison.com
Facebook: @NewZealandVenison
Instagram: @nzvenison
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