Homegrown food with Japanese twist

Deer Industry New Zealand and Vegetables.co.nz have teamed up to celebrate healthy and delicious meals with farm-raised venison and fresh, New Zealand-grown vegetables.

Farm-raised venison is low in fat and high in iron, making it a perfect protein ingredient to support a healthy diet. Farm-raised venison also provides melt-in-your mouth tenderness that chefs worldwide favour.

And right now food writers throughout the country are sending in their recipes to the Deer Industry NZ farm-raised venison and New Zealand vegetables competition.

January's winner is Celia Harvey, with a recipe for Soy & Ginger Venison with Asian-style slaw. Celia and Cuisine magazine have agreed to us publishing the recipe here.

SOY & GINGER VENISON WITH ASIAN-STYLE SLAW

Serves 4

4 x 200g farm-raised venison steaks or medallions

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp kecap manis*

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp caster sugar

tonkatsu sauce* to serve

Put the venison in a non-reactive dish. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour them over the venison, then cover and refrigerate for at least two hours to marinate.

Preheat the barbecue to high. Remove the venison from the marinade, then sear on the hot plate for two to three minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat and rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the Asian slaw and tonkatsu sauce.

*Kecap manis is a sweet Malaysian soy sauce and tonkatsu sauce is a slightly sweet Japanese brown sauce. Look for both in Asian food stores.

Asian-style slaw

400g daikon white radish, peeled, with the flesh peeled into broad ribbons

1/4 small savoy cabbage, thinly sliced

2 tbsp pickled Japanese ginger, cut into thin strips

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp mild vegetable oil

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

pea-sized dab wasabi paste

small handful chives, cut into 7cm lengths

1 & 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

Put the daikon, cabbage and ginger in a serving bowl.

Whisk the sesame oil and vegetable oil together to blend, then whisk in the vinegar and wasabi paste to create a dressing. Pour the dressing over the daikon mixture then sprinkle with the chives and sesame seeds. Set aside for 10 minutes to soften, then serve with the venison.