So OK, I admit it: I designed this recipe as a joke. I really wanted to make an Indian jackrabbit curry and call it “Hare Krishna,” so I did. For those who somehow don’t get this joke, is it a play off the Hare Krishnas, who used to bother us in airports decades ago. I know, I know. It’s kinda hyuk, hyuk humor. Guilty.
There is an ulterior motive at work here, too, however. I know next to nothing about Indian food. And I want to learn. This is one of my first forays into the subcontinent’s cooking (the other being a Goan crab curry), and while I like curry just fine, it is still a cuisine foreign to me.
As for this recipe, it’s fun — and since I used a store-bought curry paste, super easy. You can literally have this bad boy done in an hour.
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I made this with jackrabbit, which like most hares is a dark meat, but unless you are a hunter, hare can be tough to buy. My advice is to either go with rabbit, which is a white meat, or use a similar red meat, i.e., venison or lamb. More or less everything else is easily found in a decent supermarket, so this is not an especially challenging curry.
- 1/4 cup ghee, clarified butter, or vegetable oil
- 2 pounds hare or rabbit meat, cut off the bone and into chunks
- Salt
- 2 cups yellow or white onion, sliced root to tip
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- A 14-ounce can of tomato puree
- 1 cup plain yogurt, Greek style is best
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 heaping teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 cup Madras curry paste, or 2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
- Heat the clarified butter in a wide pot (like a sauce pot or high-sided frying pan with a lid) over medium-high heat. Pat the hare pieces dry with paper towels and brown them well. Salt the meat as it cooks. Remove to a bowl once browned.
- Add the onion and saute until it begins to brown at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook another minute.
- Return the meat to the pot and add the tomato puree, water, bay leaves, turmeric and Madras curry paste. Stir in the yogurt and bring to a gentle simmer. Add salt to taste and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Finish by stirring in the Garam Masala and the cilantro. Serve over rice.
Serve with rice or flatbreads. A hoppy beer would be your best accompaniment.
We love indian food. One thing we do is add indian flavors to our cooking instead of cooking an actual recipe. Try some garam masala with your meat instead of salt and pepper. Use diced chilies and rose water. Even find a good curry powder. You may find that you like the flavors better. We make curried eggs which are hard boiled eggs cooked with curry powder and chilies. It’s a bit more soupy than other indian inspired foods since the eggs float in a sauce.
I’ve made rose scented chicken which would be awesome with any game meat.
Just discovered this site. Wow. I was searching for some small game recipes and found everything I need in one place. I’m in Alaska, so lots of snowshoe hares, which I never knew what to do with. I discovered quick that Grandma’s PA cottontail recipes don’t work, at all. Then, I found the Hare Krishna recipe. I’ve got Hunt Gather Cook coming in the mail. Can’t wait.
An Indian food book recommendation. The New Curry Bible by Pat Chapman. We lived in London for 2 years and I got addicted to Indian food. No good options in Alaska. I had to learn to cook my own, so I started buying books. The New Curry Bible is the best of the dozen+ I have.
Hello!
The recipe sounds really good, and the photograph is beautiful. I like to make my own garam masala, rather than use the store bought powder. You can tell the difference from the aroma itself. Also, it was only after I came to the US that I heard of “curry powder”. I am sure it is used in some dishes, but definitely not all. And I assure you, all Indian dishes are not stews with rice though we do like some gravy to things.
Since you asked, here’s are a couple of things you can do differently on your own recipe
I like to grind the garam masala spices (cardamom, cumin, peppercorn, cinnamon etc) and put them into the oil before the onions. The oil carries the flavours to the taste buds.
I also like to put in the turmeric and a little salt as soon as the onions are slightly done.
Instead of browning the meat before hand, you could put in the meat once the onion, ginger n garlic are fried. coat and fry with the “masala”.
For this dish I would use either the tomato or the yogurt, not both (this doesn’t mean you cant use both). I’d add it once the meat is fried in the masala.
I’d skip the curry powder, and add green chiles, chopped. The amount would depend on how much heat you like in your dish.
Do let me know if you like it with the changes, should you decide to try it out. On a side note, “Hare Krishna” is actually a mantra, chanted by many but mainly the Vaishnavs (followers of Vishnu). They are staunch vegetarians, just so you know 😉
Thanks for this recipe. I replaced the tomato puree with coconut milk, and added a ghost pepper. DELICIOUS!!
I made this twice, and loved it both times. But the second time with coconut milk instead of yogurt – I prefer the coconut. Hank, is there a different time /temp/prep tip for coconut milk vs yogurt? Thanks