Venison Stir Fry with Black Bean Chili Sauce
A lot has changed over the last few years. I’m spending most of my time during the deer season cutting up other people’s deer instead of hunting, writing, or cooking. So, when I had a full day off from processing deer, I made a last minute trip to the shore with a friend.
I pulled the plugs from the shotguns, loaded up with buckshot, and put on the briar gear. We kicked brush, crawled through briars and tagged a few sika hinds. It was a solid day in the salt marsh and a great break from the meathouse.
This recipe is based on another one of Fuchsia Dunlop’s recipes, this one from her book “Every Grain of Rice”. We have been obsessed with her work for the past year, and have been cooking our way through all her recipes. This is one of the simplest dishes, yet yields wildly good results. We served a version of this at our yearly deer camp and the feedback was unanimously good.
The most important ingredient is the Laoganma Chili and black bean sauce. There is no substitute. You can find this in most well stocked asian grocery stores, or on amazon (though it's exponentially more expensive online). This store bought sauce is packed with umami flavor and balanced spice. It’s good on just about anything, but shines paired up with meat and peppers.
This whole dish comes together in less than 15 minutes and uses one pan (wok). It’s yet another reason we have gravitated so much towards this style of cooking- it allows you to make exceptional quality food with limited time.
Venison Stir Fry with Black Bean Chili Sauce
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
~¾ pound of venison backstrap, top round, or similar, sliced ⅜” thick cross grain
1 ½ bell peppers, ~⅜” slices
3 Tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
3 tbsp Laoganma chili and black bean sauce
Splash of sesame oil
Marinade:
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 ½ tsp light soy sauce
1 ½ tsp shaoxing wine
1 ½ tsp potato starch or corn starch
Method:
Slice the venison cross grain, about ⅜” thick. Add in all marinade ingredients, mix well, set aside.
Slice peppers and chop cilantro, set aside.
Heat wok over high heat. Add oil, and add marinated meat. Spread out the meat in the bottom on the wok, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, stir or toss, cook for another minute. Add in peppers, toss or stir. Cook peppers for 1-2 minutes, add in chili and black bean sauce, stir or toss to evenly coat, add a splash of sesame oil.
Serve immediately over rice.
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