Ingredients

• 1 bay leaf
• 10 black peppercorns
• 5cm/2in piece of cinnamon stick
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 blade of mace
• 2 garlic cloves
• peeled
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 onions
• finely sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (pound equal quantities of garlic and ginger with a little water)
• salt
• to taste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp medium curry powder
• 3 plum tomatoes
• roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 500g/1lb 2oz venison fillet
• 4 tbsp coriander cress
• to garnish
• steamed basmati rice
• to serve

Directions

• For the garam masala paste
• blend or pound the ingredients for the garam masala with 50ml/2fl oz water to make a paste.
• For the Bangladeshi venison curry
• heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions gently until lightly coloured. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw flavours
• then add the garam masala paste and salt to taste. Cook
• stirring
• for a further 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add the ground spices
• tomatoes and stir to mix. Pour in about 750ml/1¼ pints of water. Bring to the boil
• then cook on a low heat until the sauce has thickened. Add the chopped coriander a few minutes from the end of the cooking time.
• For the venison
• preheat the oven to 240C/450F/Gas8. Heat a medium frying pan and add the oil
• place the venison fillet in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on each side then place in oven for eight minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve the sauce on plates
• and cut the venison into batons and arrange the venison pieces on top of the sauce and garnish with coriander cress. Serve with steamed basmati rice.