Stir Fry Indian Venison Koftas

Hi there! We hope all of you are doing well. We apologize for being a little slow on posting recipes. This dish was made over a week ago, and the photos have been sitting on my MacBook, waiting to be put up. It nagged and nagged,  but unfortunately, I have been a little busy. Thankfully, I have a little time today after work and before Rick comes home to blog again. We also have a Rabbit and Venison Sausage Gumbo recipe in the works. Actually, it's already done. I just have to post it. Hopefully, soon. :-)

This is an (East) Indian inspired dish. The day after we made it, Rick's mom told us that the house still smelled good. When you fry the kofta balls, your house is immediately filled with wonderful, strange, new aromas. It almost has the same effect as frying bacon. You know, when you smell and hear it cooking, and your nose starts spinning wildly and your mouth starts salivating-- yeah, that's it. If available, serve this dish with "roti" bread. If you can't find it, this dish is also great by itself. Stir fry is also very adaptable. Use your favorite veggies or what you have on hand.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. Garam Masala spice mixture
- 1 tsp. garlic paste
- 2 tbs. chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
- Kosher/sea salt, to taste
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 6 scallions, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup of edamame beans (soy beans), cooked and removed from pods
- 12 baby corn cobs
- 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 mild green chile (like Anaheim), seeded and chopped
- 1 tbs. lime juice
- red pepper flakes, to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine ground venison with onion, cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, Garam Masala, garlic paste and 1 tbs. of chopped cilantro. 

Next, add the Panko breadcrumbs and salt, to taste. Mix well. Cover and chill for a few minutes. 

This is packaged Garam Masala, a popular Indian spice mixture. You can make it from scratch, but it's much cheaper ready made. Trying to buy all the individual spices can run your grocery bill through the roof. Indian markets also sell their spices much more cheaply than American stores. 

For those who don't know what "Edamame" is, it's just soy beans. Find it in the frozen section of your grocery store. Follow packaged directions on how to cook it. Typically, directions will tell you to add beans to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, or so. Very easy.

2. In a bowl, combine and measure out green bell pepper, edamame beans, corn cobs, cauliflower and green chile. This way, everything is ready to go. 

3. In a large wok or skillet, heat 3 tbs. of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped scallions and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute. Then add the bowl of vegetables and a pinch of salt. Increase heat to high and stir fry for 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Set aside. 

4. Next, form venison mixture into little balls. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, cook koftas in batches.

Turn them often until browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. 

5. When all koftas are cooked, reheat the vegetables. Stir in koftas. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until everything is heated through. Stir in lime juice and red pepper flakes, to taste. Garnish with remaining cilantro. 

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Eat leftover baby corn like this.