Bird Is The Word
Pheasant is an underrated bird. There, I said it! It is just as easily manipulated as chicken and can be used in a variety of recipes. You can roast, sauté, bread or grind it. All around, it’s delicious and familiar to cook.
Wes and his dad have been hunting for pheasant, and we were lucky enough that he shared his bounty with us, double the meat in the freezer! It makes me proud to see them hunt together. Sharing in such a special activity through generations is how the knowledge and skill gets passed down and develops for those to come.
Spice Is Nice
I had never made tikka masala before, and man oh man have I been missing out. Learn from my mistake- do not pass go, do not collect $200, until you make this recipe. It is easy, comes together quickly and MAN OH MAN is it delicious. A tikka masala sauce contains spices, tomato sauce, cream and butter. What is not to love about that?
Garam Masala is what makes this dish. It gives it the bright color and beautiful spicy flavor. However, if you are like me and realize a little too late that you are fresh out of Garam Masala, you can make a quick substitute out of cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, cardamon and cumin. This amazing Indian dish is traditionally made on skewers in a hot clay oven. However, it almost as delicious made in a skillet on the stovetop!
Marinate, Cook, Eat
The pheasant starts in a marinade of greek yogurt, spices, and lemon juice. The longer it sits, the better it gets. Once it is time to cook, you will pan fry the pheasant in oil until par-cooked (don’t worry, we will continue to cook in a bit!) After setting the meat aside, you begin making the silky sauce. Melting the butter in your pan, you will next add the garlic, ginger, spices, and brown sugar. Stirring until fragrant, at that point it is time to add the tomato sauce. Once your sauce slightly thickens you will slowly drizzle in the cream and add the pheasant back into your pan. Allowing it to cook while the sauce bubbles, it soaks up all of that delicious flavor. When the pheasant is cooked through and sauce is thickened, it is time to dig in!
Wes and I enjoyed us over rice with broccoli on the side, but this would be delicious in a lettuce wrap, a pita or you could even get creative and make a tikka masala pizza! (Umm this may have to be a future blog post?!) We can’t wait to hear how yours turned out. Let us know in the comments below!
Pheasant Tikka Masala
A deliciously spicy silky sauce with tender pheasant. Your new go to dish!
Ingredients
- Greek Yogurt- 1C
- Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed- 2tbs
- Garam Masala- 2 1/2tbs
- Red Chili powder- 1/2tsp
- Ground Coriander-1tsp
- Cumin-1tsp
- Smoked Paprika-1tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Garlic, minced- 4 1/2tsp
- Ginger, grated- 4tsp
- Oil (I like avacado)- 3tbs
- Butter- 2tbs
- Onion, large- 1
- Brown Sugar- 2tsp
- Tomato Sauce (unseasoned)- 8oz can
- Heavy Cream-1 1/4C
- Pheasant, cleaned, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces- 1 1/2lbs
- Cooked White Rice- 4C
Directions
- Step 1 In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the greek yogurt, lemon juice, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garam masala, red chili powder, 2 tsp ginger, and 2 tsp garlic. Add in your pheasant chunks and toss until evenly coated. Cover and place in the fridge overnight to marinate.
- Step 2 When ready to cook, heat a heavy bottom skillet (we always love our cast iron) over medium high heat. Add in your oil until it coats the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully add in the pheasant. Do so in batches as to not over crowd the pan. Allow to develop a crust without stirring for 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside, covering to keep warm.
- Step 3 In the same pan, add the butter and onions. Saute until soft while scraping up all of the fond (browned bits in the bottom of the pan.) Add the remaining 2 tsp ginger and 2 tsp garlic and cook while stirring until fragrant.
- Step 4 Add to the pan your brown sugar, garam masala, salt, 1 tps coriander, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp paprika and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Step 5 Once fragarant, add in the tomato sauce (being careful as it might bubble) and allow to simmer. Once the sauce has slightly thickened, add in the heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Step 6 Add the pheasant back to the pan along with its juices and allow to continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. If sauce thickens too much, add a small amount of water to thin.
- Step 7 Remove from the heat and serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro or parsley if desired. Enjoy!
