Serves four as a starter 600g venison leg For the Szechuan spice mix: 100g szechuan peppercorns 40g cumin seeds 40g coriander seeds 20g black peppercorns For the miso dressing: 20g palm sugar or soft brown sugar 4 egg yolks 160ml rice wine vinegar 240ml grape seed oil 100g light miso paste 20ml sesame oil 20g Thai chilli paste 40ml light, low salt soy sauce For the marinated Asian vegetable salad: Quarter of a cucumber 1 carrot Quarter of a daikon radish 1 stick of celery 1 pack soba or buckwheat noodles, cooked and refreshed For the vegetable dressing: Juice of 2 limes 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar Half cup sake Half tsp mustard oil Fresh coriander leaves 1 tbsp pickled sushi ginger, sliced thin For the wasabi mayonnaise: 1 tsp wasabi pasteHalf cup of mayonnaise
Heat the szechuan spices together in a wok and grind finely. Use 1-2 tablespoons of this to season the venison for at least one hour. Set aside the remaining spice mix. To make the miso dressing, whisk the yolks, sugar and vinegar together. Add the miso slowly and blend in the oils until it reaches a mayonnaise-like consistency. Add the remaining spice mix to taste. Check seasoning. Cut all the vegetables into long, thin juliennes. Mix all the ingredients for the vegetable dressing together, and pour over the vegetables and prepared noodles, and let them stand for four hours. Mix the wasabi paste with the mayonnaise. Sear the venison in a little oil until rare. Cool and partly freeze. To serve: Slice the venison very thinly and place on the bed of pickled vegetables and noodles. Pour over the sauce and then garnish with the wasabi mayonnaise. By Graham Brown on behalf of New Zealand Venison and the British Deer Farmers Association Filet mignon or loin may also be used in this recipe as an alternative to leg. When using haunch (leg), it should be trimmed or tied into a log shape, approximately 5cm in diameter. Some suppliers offer a single leg muscle of this shape. This recipe first appeared in the Winter 2006 edition of Stockpot magazine.