Indian food recipes like this pheasant curry still excite me!
I love getting into the kitchen and experimenting with spices and different meats and vegetables. That’s why I enjoy game season so much and it’s why you’ve probably noticed a lot of game recipes from me lately.
Feathered game cooked on the bone makes a delicious curry and personally I think you might just be impressed with this one. If you’re lucky enough to live near a good game dealer they should be able to supply you with pheasants. If not, try Alternative Meats. They deliver oven ready game to your door. In fact they supplied me with the pheasants for this curry.
Lately I’ve been on a bit of a diet so I decided to make this pheasant curry with low fat coconut milk mixed with water. The flavour from the birds mixes so well with the coconut milk leaving you with a dish that tastes so good. Top it with a little low fat coriander chutney and I challenge you to find a fattening, creamy curry that tastes any better.
The coriander chutney I used to go with this recipe is the same chutney I used recently with my fried hake recipe. Here it is if you want to give it a try.
Pheasant Curry

This recipe can be used with chicken, quail, partridge and leftover turkey with equally good results.
Ingredients
- 1 pheasant cut into 6 pieces
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 100g thick Greek yogurt
- Juice of one lime
- 2 tablespoon ghee or olive oil
- 2 onions - finely chopped
- 1 fresh red chilli - finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 large pinch saffron
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 400ml coconut milk
- 25 cashews ground in a little water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Coriander leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Mix the yogurt, lime juice, ginger and garlic in a glass bowl and add the pheasant pieces.
- Allow to marinate for at least eight hours and up to 24 hours.
- When ready to cook, heat the ghee/olive oil in a large saucepan or wok.
- Add the chopped onions and fry until nice and soft - about 5 minutes.
- Now add the cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and chopped chilli and fry for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the pheasant pieces, retaining the marinade and brown them with the onions for about five more minutes and then remove the pheasants pieces from the pan.
- Place the onion mixture into a blender and add the coconut milk, the remaining marinade and about 200ml water. You could just use a handheld blender if you have one.
- Blend to either a fine or chunky sauce depending on you preference.
- Bring the sauce back to a simmer and add the saffron and the ground cashews.
- Return the pheasant legs to the curry and allow to simmer for about 40 minutes until the pheasant leg meat is nice and tender.
- Add the breast meat pieces and cook for a further 10 minutes until just cooked through.
- Check for seasoning, squeeze the lemon juice over the sauce and serve over rice with a spoonful of coriander chutney
Samantha
Monday 25th of January 2021
Tried this last night and was so delicious! Thanks for the recipe :)
Dan Toombs
Tuesday 26th of January 2021
Good to hear. Thanks very much. Dan
Nicky
Monday 5th of February 2018
Stunning recipe - I tried it last week and it was gorgeous - doing it again today. Many thanks
Dan Toombs
Monday 5th of February 2018
Great to hear Nicky. Thank you.
Dan
Dave
Thursday 25th of January 2018
Been dying to try game in a curry, I’m not a huge fan of coconut or yogurt based curries will pheasant work with a vindaloo or madras?
Dan Toombs
Monday 5th of February 2018
Hi Dave
It sure will! I use game in both of those sauces all the time. Love it.
Thanks, Dan
Debbie
Monday 9th of December 2013
Hi Dan.....did this curry with the pheasants I gave you and you gave me back......absolutely gorgeous !!! And I've passed it on to my shooting girlfriends.
Dan Toombs
Wednesday 11th of December 2013
Cheers very much for that Debbie. Really glad you liked the recipe and thanks for passing it on!
Dan