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Roast saddle of red deer with a spicy pickling sauce

From Vivek Singh at The Cinnamon Club for Taste of London

1 saddle of red deer, cut into steaks of 200g each

For marinade
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
½ tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground red chilli
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tsp garam masala

For the pickling sauce
3 tbsp mustard oil
¼ tsp black onion seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ tsp fennel seeds
¼ tsp carom or caraway seeds
2 whole dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
2 medium white onions, finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric
300ml natural yoghurt, stirred
2 green chillies, slit
100ml lamb or chicken stock
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
cashew nut paste (alt option)

1. Marinate the red deer steaks with a little oil, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice and set aside for 1 hour.

2. Marinate the steaks again by mixing in the yoghurt and sprinkling garam masala over the meat. Set aside for a minimum of 45 minutes before cooking.

Alt. 2. Marinate again by mixing cloves, green cardamon, coriander, green coriander stems, garlic, fried onions, fennel. Heat. Remove from heat & let cool. Make into a paste. Add a touch of spice mix to steaks, with red chilli powder, salt and yoghurt.

3. For the pickling sauce, heat the mustard oil in a thick-bottomed pan and let it smoke. Take the pan off the heat to cool, then reheat the oil and add the black onion, cumin, fenugreek, fennel, carom or caraway seeds, red chillies and the bay leaf and let it crackle.

4. Add the onions immediately without letting the spices burn and cook on a slow heat till they turn pink. Add the turmeric and stir.

5. Now reduce the heat and slowly add in the yoghurt little by little, stirring continuously without letting the yoghurt split.

6. Keep stirring till the sauce begins to a boil; add in green chillies and the stock and cook further until the sauce is reduced and thick.

7. Now add the salt and sugar and the coriander leaves. The sauce is ready to be served.

8. To cook the deer, pass a skewer through the steak and cook in a hot tandoor oven for 5 minutes and rest in a warm place for another 5-8 minutes before serving.

9. Alternatively you could sear the steak in a hot pan for 3 minutes each side and cook in an oven at 175°C for 5 minutes and rest for 5 minutes before serving. Best to be served medium either with masala mash or pilau rice.

Alt. Serve with stir-fried potatoes with cumin and fenugreek, with a pinch of salt; shaped with a ring