Venison Meatballs in a Yoghurt Curry Sauce

Venison meatballs loaded with Indian flavours are served in an easy yoghurt-based curry sauce that complements the rich meat in the kofta.

Preparation for this simple dish takes around 15 minutes and cooking takes around 25 minutes which makes any night curry night!

Indian Venison Kofta

Venison is not really a meat associated with Indian flavours, it is typically thought of as venison stew or maybe even a gourmet venison burger. But it has a glorious flavour that I think work really well with a bit of spice!

Indian meatballs are called kofta and these venison kofta are not the first time they have appeared on my site.

They join my Chicken Kofta Meatballs and they are a fine addition even if I do say so myself. I’ve even got some vegetarian potato and paneer “meatballs” in the form of Malai kofta that are stunning.

Just like those meatballs and many of my recipes these definitely fall into the Indian-inspired category rather than being a traditional Indian recipe.

The meatballs are get flavoured with some fennel seeds, garam masala, fenugreek, chilli and garlic.

Then they are brown in a mix of ghee and mustard oil which forms the base of a beautifully spiced yoghurt curry sauce. I love yoghurt as the base for a curry sauce, if you want another example check out my Indian-inspired salmon curry.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I avoid these meatballs drying out?

Venison is a very lean meat and as a result of the lack of fat, you need to avoid overcooking these meatballs.

I usually use a meat thermometer and ensure that I hit that target temperature of around 71°C or 160°F for serving.

You could potentially cook the meatballs less and whilst I love rare meat, it is not something that I do with minced meat of any description.

Can I use dried curry leaves?

I personally would not, I do not think that they taste of anything at all. Fresh curry leaves are readily available in good Indian/Pakistani stores and online and they freeze wonderfully!

Buy a big bag chuck ’em in the freezer and you are good to go.

Can I use low-fat yoghurt?

The risk with using low-fat or even no-fat yoghurt is that the sauce is much more likely to split.

Consequently, I would advise against it, you could stabilise it with flour but then you need more water to thin out the sauce which messes with the flavour balance.

If I split the sauce can I rescue it?

To an extent yes, but it is also important to point out that the sauce will still be edible.

Begin by removing your meatballs and then start adding the split sauce to more yoghurt (little by little) whisking as you go.

Return the sauce back to the pan, you will have diluted the flavours which you can turn back up with the addition of some garam masala and chilli powder if you like.

Serving Suggestions

As with many of my Indian-inspired recipes, I usually serve these curried venison meatballs with rice. They are photographed here with a nice golden pilau rice.

Another great option would be Bombay potatoes. My spiced crunchy roasted version of this recipe would be a real treat with that spicy tomato sauce!

But you can get all sorts of creative with this recipe and it would be great on a meatball sub.

But take that idea and run with it, make a large naan bread then roll these up in it. You could do something similar with chapatis too!

Add some kachumber salad and a bit of mint raita and you are laughing all the way to the bank of “I just made the best sandwich ever”.

On that note, I’m off, I have a sandwich to make!

Equipment Used

I only namecheck brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• 30cm or 12″ frying pan or skillet with a lid.
• Chopping board.
• Kicthen knife.
• Mixing bowl.
• Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
• Spoons and kitchen tongs.
• Quick read meat thermometer, optional.