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Achari pheasant, spiced aubergine caviar and poppy seed aloo tikki
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This remarkable Indian spiced pheasant recipe from Vineet Bhatia has a number of stages to it and requires a reasonable amount of preparation plus overnight marinating, but the end result is fabulous. It is unlikely that guests will have had such an interesting game dish with spiced aubergine caviar before. The mustard oil and the chat masala can easily be found in an Indian supermarket or from online retailers.
First published in 2015
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Ingredients
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Imperial
Achari pheasant breasts
- 4 pheasant breasts, skinless and boneless
First marinade
- 1 tbsp of ginger paste
- 1 tbsp of garlic paste
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 pinch of salt
Second marinade
- 1 tbsp of fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp of black onion seeds
- 1 dried chilli, crushed
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 300g of Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp of ginger paste
- 1 tbsp of garlic paste
- 1 tbsp of turmeric
- 1 tbsp of green chillies, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp Mixed vegetable pickle
- 1 tbsp of mustard oil
Tikki / pheasant confit
- 4 pheasant legs, skinless
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp of ginger, chopped
- 1 green chilli, split
- 1 dried red chilli
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- 2 tbsp of coriander stalks, chopped
- salt
Tikki
- 300g of Désirée potatoes
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3/4 tbsp of fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 3/4 tbsp of green chillies, finely chopped
- salt
- 2 tbsp of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 8 tbsp of poppy seeds
- 1000ml of vegetable oil
Spiced aubergine caviar
- 2 aubergines
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tsp green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
- salt
Red onion, tomato and cucumber relish
- 1 red onion, cut into 1cm dice
- 3 tomatoes, deseeded and cut into 1cm dice
- 1/2 cucumber, deseeded and cut into 1cm dice
- 1 tsp green chillies, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala
- 1 lemon, juiced
- salt
To plate
- 1 handful of chives
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Deep fat fryer
- Pestle and mortar
- 4 wooden skewers
Method
1
For the pheasant breasts, make 4 light slashes in each breast. Mix all the ingredients for the first marinade together in a bowl and rub them on to the pheasant breasts. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes
- 4 pheasant breasts
- 1 tbsp of ginger paste
- 1 tbsp of garlic paste
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 pinch of salt
2
Crush them coarsely in a mortar and pestle then add to the Greek yogurt, along with the ginger paste, garlic paste, green chilli, mixed pickle, mustard oil and garam masala. Lastly, add the turmeric and salt to taste – the pickle contains turmeric and so you don’t want the sauce to be too yellow
- 300g of Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp of ginger paste
- 1 tbsp of garlic paste
- 1 tbsp of green chillies
- 1 tbsp of turmeric
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 3 tsp Mixed vegetable pickle
- salt
3
Rub the second marinade on the pheasant breasts and leave in the fridge to marinate for 6 hours
4
To make the Tikki you need to start with the pheasant confit. Place all the ingredients in a deep pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the meat is falling away from the bone
- 4 pheasant legs
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp of ginger
- 1 green chilli
- 1 dried red chilli
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- 2 tbsp of coriander stalks
- salt
5
For the second marinade, roast all the cardamom, coriander, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, dried chilli, black onion seeds, fenugreek seeds in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Shake and stir them constantly until a shade darker
- 1 tbsp of fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp of black onion seeds
- 1 dried chilli
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
6
Remove the pheasant legs and leave them on a wire rack to drain and cool completely. Bone the legs and cut the meat into pea-sized cubes
7
Boil the potatoes until tender, cool then grate. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the garlic, ginger and green chilli and sauté for a minute
- 300g of Désirée potatoes
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp of ginger
- 3/4 tbsp of green chillies
8
Add the diced pheasant legs and sauté for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Add the grated potatoes and some salt and mix well. Remove from the heat and leave to cool
9
Mix in the coriander leaves and check the seasoning. Shape the Tikki mixture into 4cm cakes, about 1.25cm thick. Coat them in the poppy seeds and then chill for 30 minutes to firm up
- 2 tbsp of fresh coriander
- 8 tbsp of poppy seeds
10
To make the spiced aubergine caviar, put the aubergines on a baking sheet and brush with a little oil. Place in an oven preheated to 200°C/Gas mark 6 and roast for 20 minutes or until they are lightly charred and completely tender. Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel off the skin. Chop the flesh finely to form a paste
- 2 aubergines
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
11
Add the aubergine flesh, stir to combine thoroughly with the spice mixture and season with salt. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until the excess moisture has evaporated. Add the chopped coriander and stir
- 2 tbsp of fresh coriander
- salt
12
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. As they begin to crackle, add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chilli and cook until the garlic turns golden
- 1000ml of vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 1 tsp green chillies
13
Then add the onion, tomato, grated ginger, crushed garlic, turmeric, chilli powder and ground cumin and coriander. Stir the spices together and sauté over a medium heat for 4 minutes, until the raw aroma has gone
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp ground coriander
14
Combine all the ingredients for the red onion, tomato and cucumber relish in a bowl and mix well. Chill
- 1 red onion
- 3 tomatoes
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 tsp green chillies
- 2 tbsp of fresh coriander
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala
- 1 lemon
- salt
15
Heat the vegetable oil to 180°C in a deep-fat fryer or a deep pan. Take the Tikkis out of the fridge and deep-fry for about 2 minutes, until the seeds turn crunchy. Drain on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil
- 1000ml of vegetable oil
16
Pre-heat the oven 190°C/Gas mark 5. Remove the pheasant breasts from the marinade, thread it on to skewers and place them over a roasting tin so the meat is suspended above the tin
17
Roast in the oven for 9 minutes, until cooked through, basting occasionally with the excess marinade. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 2 minutes before serving
18
To serve, place the aubergine caviar in the centre of 4 plates and spoon the red onion, tomato and cucumber relish around it. Place the pheasant breasts on top of the aubergine and garnish with the pheasant tikki and some chives
- 1 handful of chives
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