Spiced roasted grouse

Roasted grouse recipe

This is the sort of dish that makes me feel fortunate about cooking in Britain. Although Indian food has a rich tradition of game cooking, it's been lost due to the complete ban on hunting in India for over 60 years now and an entire generation of chefs have never cooked with any kind of game. This is my effort to reclaim and preserve the lost art of game cooking in Indian food.

 

Ingredients

4 whole grouses
1 tbsp corn or vegetable oil

For the marinade
1 tbsp corn or vegetable oil
1½ tsp salt
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and coarsely ground
8 cloves, roasted and coarsely ground
1 tsp red chilli powder

For the mince
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 whole dried red chillies 
1 bay leaf
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp red chill powder
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

 

Method

  • Remove the feathers and skin from the grouse, separate the breast and the legs and remove the bones from them. Clean and trim the breasts, mince the legs along with any other trimmings and set aside. If you don’t like your game too strong, then it advisable to bulk the mince with some lamb or other mince, or alternatively boil ity in salted water with pinch of turmeric and drain. This makes the mince milder.

  • Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a mixing bowl and fold the grouse breasts in it. Leave the marinated grouse for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

  • For the mince, heat oil in a pan; add bay leaves, red chilli followed by the coriander seeds and sauté till it releases the flavours. Add the onions and sauté till it turns a golden colour. Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for a minute. Sprinkle the red chilli, coriander and cumin powders and stir for another minute. Now add the tomatoes and salt and cook for about 5 minutes until the oil starts separating. Stir in the leg mince and cook for about 5 minutes till the mince is done. Finish it with fresh chopped coriander leaves.

  • Heat oil in an oven proof pan, sear the breasts on both the sides for 30 seconds each side and cook under a pre-heated grill for 1 minute. Rest them for 5 minutes and serve with the mince.
     

Chef Recommendations

Tip: The grouse goes well with pumpkin pickle. The rich sweet flavours of the pickle work very well with the earthy, musky, gamey flavour of grouse. Take care not to over cook the breast as it dried up very quickly. Grouse being a very lean meat cooks very quickly and best enjoyed cooked medium.