Recipe for roast curried grouse

Roast curried grouse with spiced lentil and coconut dahl, poppadum and cucumber chutney.

To make the curry paste

• 200g galangal
• 200g fresh ginger peeled
• 100g turmeric root
• 300g banana shallots peeled
• 50g peeled garlic
• 2 lime leaves
• 4 lemongrass sticks
• 30ml lime juice
• 200g red long chilli
• 50ml sesame oil
• 50 ml soy sauce
• 20g toasted fennel seeds
• 4 star anise
• 4 black cardamom

Put all the ingredients together into a food processor and blend until smooth.

To cook the grouse

You will need one freshly prepared grouse per person.

• Separate the legs from the body of the grouse leaving the crown whole. Remove the wishbone from the crown.
• Rub both the legs and crowns with plenty of the curry paste and leave to marinate overnight.
• Place the legs and the crowns in separate vacuum bags. Cook the legs in a water bath for 12 hours at 85 degrees Celsius until they are tender. Cook the crowns the same way using these parameters for 25 minutes at 60 degrees Celsius.
• When both are cooked, plunge into an ice bath to cool down.
• TIP: Make sure you’re not overfilling the bags to ensure they cook evenly.
• Panfry the crowns in a little olive oil for 3 minutes on each side, add 2 legs to the same pan and warm through for a further 1 minute.

To make the dahl 

• 500g of red lentils
• 20ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 fennel, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 lime leaves
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 400ml coconut milk
• 2 star anise
• 2 black cardamom
• 200g baby spinach leaves, washed
• 40g curry paste
• 50ml to finish dahl

Using a heavy bottom pan, add a little ghee (clarified butter) and warm until it starts to bubble. Add the vegetables, garlic and the spices, followed by the lentils.

Add the stock and simmer until tender then add coconut milk. Reduce it right down until it has a creamy base of a dhal.

At the very end add the spinach leaves, lime juice to taste and a final seasoning if required.

Assembling the dish

Panfry the grouse crown in a little olive oil for three minutes on each breast, add two legs to the same pan and warm through for a further minute. Carve the breasts free from the carcass.

Place some of the dahl in the centre of each plate with both breasts and legs on top, finish with some fresh poppadums and fresh coriander.