Spicy Szechuan venison

Venison is a staple in many hunters’ freezers, with cuts such as fillet, rump and backstrap lending themselves to a wide range of dishes. While traditional venison recipes are always reliable, this Szechuan-inspired version brings a bold Asian twist to wild game. With fragrant spices, fresh vegetables and fast wok cooking, it’s a simple and flavoursome way to enjoy venison at home.

Serves: 2 people
Duration: 2.5-3 hours, including marinating

Chef’s note: For the best flavour, lightly roast the Szechuan peppercorns over medium heat for about five minutes, allow them to cool, then grind to a fine powder. As with most wok-cooked dishes, have all ingredients sliced, measured and ready before you start, as the cooking comes together quickly.

Ingredients

• 300-400g venison, backstrap or fillet preferred, though other cuts can be used with suitable trimming
• Prepared ground Szechuan peppercorns
• Half an onion
• Half each red and green capsicum
• 2 medium-sized mushrooms
• 3 shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger
• Salt and sugar
• Baking powder
• Cornflour
• Light soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Chinese cooking wine
• Water
• Sriracha hot chilli sauce, optional.

Method

1. Slice the venison across the grain into 5-6mm-thick bite-sized pieces.
2. Place the venison in a bowl and add one teaspoon of sugar, half a teaspoon each of baking powder and salt, half the ginger finely grated, half a tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine, one-and-a-half tablespoons of cornflour and one tablespoon of water.
3. Combine well, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about two hours.
4. While the venison is marinating, prepare the remaining ingredients. Slice the capsicums into thin strips, dice the mushrooms and onion, and finely chop the garlic, remaining ginger and white ends of the shallots. Cut the green ends into 50mm sections for garnish.
5. Have all ingredients prepared and sauces measured before cooking, as the dish comes together quickly once the wok is hot.
6. Heat a wok or pan over medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of peanut or canola oil. Add the capsicum, mushrooms and onion, then stir-fry for one to two minutes. If the vegetables look dry, add a light splash of water, then remove to a plate.
7. Over medium heat, add another tablespoon of oil, then about half a teaspoon of ground Szechuan pepper. Stir-fry for one to two minutes to infuse the pepper into the oil.
8. Add the garlic, ginger and white ends of the shallots. Stir-fry for one minute.
9. Increase the heat, add the venison and cook until lightly browned.

10. Return the cooked vegetables to the wok and mix well.
11. Add one tablespoon each of oyster sauce and light soy sauce, then combine to make the sauce. If the sauce is too thin, add a small amount of cornflour mixed with water to thicken.
12. Add a dash of Chinese cooking wine and the green ends of the shallots, then serve.
13. For extra heat, add Sriracha chilli sauce to taste with the garlic, ginger and shallots. The Szechuan pepper can also be increased for more of its signature numbing, tingling flavour.
14. If using a tender cut of venison, the baking powder can be omitted from the marinade. Venison can continue cooking after heat is applied, so it is better to slightly undercook it before adding the vegetables and allow the residual heat to finish the cooking.
15. Serve with steamed or fried rice. Be careful with the hot spices, as they can quickly overpower the dish.