Rabbit Curry

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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5 from 3 votes

Rabbit or Hare Curry

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.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 4 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

• 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.

Notes

Serve with rice or flatbreads. A hoppy beer would be your best accompaniment.

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