Instructions: This should serve six people. Use about 1 & 1/2 pounds of venison from shoulder, rump or leg cut into 3/4 inch cubes.

To prepare marinade: Heat small frying pan over medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds, roasting them, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. The cumin seeds will darken and the mustard seeds gray. Place in a small bowl and allow to cool for a bit. Using a coffee grinder reserved for the purpose, grind the spices to a fine dust. Set aside. Put onion, garlic, ginger, vinegar and oil into a food processor. Process until the contents make a pasty puree. Put the venison into a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the ground cumin and mustard seeds, pureed mix, cinnamon, and clove. Coat the venison chunks well with this and marinate from 8 hours to 48 hours.

The longer you can marinate it, the better. Keep the meat in the refrigerator while marinating.

Cooking Sauce: To prepare cooking sauce: Put the tamarind pulp into a bowl and 1 & 1/4 cups boiling water. Let the pulp soak for 15 minutes. Mash the pulp with the back of spoon. Strain the liquid, squeezing the pulp as much as possible, into another small bowl. Set aside. Discard the stringy fiber.

Preparation

1. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and stir constantly to prevent burning. Fry the onions until they turn caramel brown, about 12 minutes, stirring all the while to keep them from burning.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the turmeric, red pepper and paprika. When the spices start to sizzle and darken (about 15 seconds), add the venison (reserving the marinade) and fry until the meat is slightly seared and the oil begins to separate from the gravy (about 10 minutes). Add the tamarind juice, salt and any remaining marinade, and bring to a boil. lower heat and cook, partly covered, until meat is thoroughly cooked and fork tender (about 40 minutes). Taste for seasoning. Serve.

3. This dish freezes well and improves in time. Serve with rice.

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