Name: Pheasant Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 pheasant, cut into eight pieces; 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil; FOR THE SPICE BLEND; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 20 dried Kashmiri chillies; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 10 garlic cloves; 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, roughly chopped; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tbsp tamarind sauce; Juice of one lime; FOR THE CURRY; 20 fresh or frozen curry leaves; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 200g (7oz)chopped tomatoes; 400ml (14 fl oz) thick coconut milk; 70ml to 125ml ( ¼ to ½ cup) water, chicken or pheasant stock; 1 tsp sugar (optional and to taste); Salt to taste

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Pheasant curry with coconut milk is one of my wintertime favourites.

Winter is always fun at my place. I have some great neighbours who hunt and always bring by some of what they shot. Often, I arrive home from shopping or something and find pheasants, grouse and/or partridges hanging from my tree in the front garden. What a treat! This pheasant curry with coconut milk is just one of the curries I make with their catch.

About this pheasant curry with coconut milk.

When you get as many game birds as I do, you’ve got to look for a variety of ways to serve them. After feathering and gutting them, which usually takes longer than I plan for, it is usually a simple curry like this that I want to make.

Good curries don’t get much easier or better than this pheasant curry with coconut milk. Yes, you do need to make a spice paste but that really only takes minutes. Then you just cook up the curry and let it simmer until it’s ready.

You can make pheasant curry with simple ingredients.

Most of the ingredients that you need for this pheasant curry are ingredients you probably already have on hand.

You might not have whole dried Kashmiri chillies but you can substitute Kashmiri chilli powder or another red chilli powder to taste. Do try to get whole Kashmiri chillies though as they taste great when toasted and then ground.

Curry leaves are another ingredient you may not have in. Purchase fresh or frozen curry leaves. This time I used frozen. Both work well. Don’t purchase dry curry leaves as they have little to no flavour. If you must, leave out the curry leaves.

What does this pheasant curry taste like?

It is quite spicy but you could add fewer chillies if you don’t like a really spicy curry. Pheasant is similar in flavour to chicken though it does have a stronger, richer flavour and can be gamey.

You could use this same pheasant curry recipe with other poultry too. Go ahead and try it with chicken, grouse, pheasant or whatever you like really.

Can you use frozen pheasant for this curry?

Yes! I am lucky to get my pheasants delivered to me fresh. We perhaps not that lucky as they take forever to feather and clean.

If you can get fresh or frozen pheasants from your butcher, use them! No feathering or cleaning needed so it’s a lot easier.

How long can you keep this pheasant curry in the fridge?

You can store your leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Be sure to cover the curry tightly or place it in an air-tight container.

To reheat your pheasant curry, place it in your microwave for a few minutes or until heated through. You could also heat it over a medium heat in a sauce pan.

Can you freeze this curry?

You can but the consistency might change a little due to the coconut milk. It will still be good though.

You can freeze this pheasant curry for up to 3 months. Then just let it defrost completely and reheat in a microwave or sauce pan.

Pro Tips.

1. Season the meat with salt at least an hour before frying. This is optional but will get more flavour into the meat.
2. Be sure to simmer the pheasant in the sauce until it is nice and tender. Pheasant can be a bit tough so just let it cook until ready.
3. Make this curry a day ahead of serving. The flavours will develop and it will be even better the next day.
4. Always be careful of the pellets used to shoot the pheasant. They aren’t nice to bite into and you could chip or break a tooth.

Step by step photos.

Get all of your ingredients measured out and ready before you start cooking.

Start by making the spice paste. Heat the whole spices in a pan over a medium heat and toast them until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking.

Grind the toasted spices into a fine powder. Then add the remaining paste ingredients and blend to a thick paste.

Heat two tablespoons oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the pheasant for about 10 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Frying curry leaves in oil to infuse their flavour into the oil.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the curry leaves for about 30 seconds to infuse their flavour into the oil.

Frying the chopped onions with the curry leaves in a pan.

Stir in the chopped onions and fry for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent.

Adding the prepared spice paste to the pan.

Add your prepared spice past and stir it into the chopped onions and curry leaves.

Adding chopped tomatoes to the fried onion mixture.

Stir well to combine and then add the chopped tomatoes and stir them in too.

Pour in the coconut milk.

Returning the browned pheasant to the pan with stock for the sauce.

Add the browned pheasant pieces and just enough water or stock to almost cover the pheasant.

Stir well to combine and then cover the pan to let the pheasant simmer for about 15 minutes.

Simmering the sauce in the pan with the lid off.

Remove the lid and continue simmering to thicken the sauce and to get that pheasant really tender. Season with salt and if you like a sweeter flavour sugar to taste.

Pheasant curry served at the table with Basmati rice and lime wedges.

Serve hot with rice or bread. I usually serve this with lime wedges that can be squeezed over the curry to taste at the table.

pheasant curry in a serving bowl next to rice at a set table.

Dig in and enjoy!

If you like this pheasant curry, you might like to have a go at some of these popular curries too.

Chicken Majestic
Spicy Chicken Curry
Spicy Pheasant Curry
Jamaican One Pot Chicken Curry
Chicken Methi Curry
Restaurant Style Chicken Chaat
Chicken Katsu Curry
Shahi Chicken Korma
Jeera Chicken
Chicken Coconut Curry
Green Chilli Chicken Curry
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
Restaurant Style Chicken Tikka Masala
Goan Chicken Vindaloo
Chinese Chicken Curry
Japanese Chicken Curry

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Yield: 4

Pheasant Curry

This recipe can be used with chicken, quail, partridge and leftover turkey with equally good results.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

1 pheasant, cut into eight pieces
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
FOR THE SPICE BLEND
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
20 dried Kashmiri chillies
1 tsp black peppercorns
10 garlic cloves
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp tamarind sauce
Juice of one lime
FOR THE CURRY
20 fresh or frozen curry leaves
2 medium onions, finely chopped
200g (7oz)chopped tomatoes
400ml (14 fl oz) thick coconut milk
70ml to 125ml ( ¼ to ½ cup) water, chicken or pheasant stock
1 tsp sugar (optional and to taste)
Salt to taste

Instructions

Season the pheasant pieces with about 1 tsp salt and ensure it is equally coated. Set aside.
To make the spice paste, place the cumin, coriander, dried chillies, black pepper and cloves in a frying pan over a medium heat. Stir the spices around in the pan until they become warm to the touch and fragrant. Then transfer the spices to a plate to cool.
Place the cooled spices in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Add the garlic cloves, ginger, ground turmeric, tamarind sauce and lime juice and blend to a thick paste. You could add a little more lime juice or water if needed to assist blending. Set aside.
Heat two tbsp oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil begins to glisten from the heat, add the pheasant and fry it for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time to brown it all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Now add the remaining oil to your pan and add the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves sizzle in the pan for about a minute and then stir in the chopped onion. Fry the onion for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent.
Add your prepared spice paste and stir it all in to combine. Then add the chopped tomatoes and stir them in too. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
Return the browned pheasant to the pan and add just enough water or stock to almost cover the pheasant. Cover the pan and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue simmering to thicken the sauce. If you find that your sauce is too thick, add a drop of water or chicken stock. If your sauce is too thin, just cook it down.
When the pheasant is tender, your pheasant curry is ready to serve. It’s ready when it’s ready but an additional 10 minutes simmering should do the trick. Try some and add sugar and/or salt to taste.
Serve with Basmati rice or Indian style bread such as naans or chapattis.

Pheasant Curry With Coconut Milk