VANITY FAIR (2004)
Curried Pheasant
Period films usually show characters washing down boiled venison with pint pots of dripping, so Vanity Fair’s spicy Indian dinner is a beacon of flavour in a sea of suet. A penniless adventuress, Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon), has a week to snare schoolfriend Amelia’s brother, Jos, as a husband. As this buffoon has made a fortune in the East Indies, she enthuses over all things Indian. To test her enthusiasm, he serves her a curry, topped with a chilli. Her mouth goes up in flames, but she still blurts out a staccato “delicious!” This is an authentically inauthentic Anglo-Indian curry.
METHOD
Heat the stock, add the tomato purée and the cardamon pods and simmer. Cut the pheasant into large chunks. Melt the ghee in a casserole and add the chilli, cumin, garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute, then add the pheasant and vegetables and brown the meat on all sides. Pour in the stock, then cover and stew over low heat for 90 minutes. Before serving, stir in the lime juice and coriander. Serves four with rice.
What you need
1 pheasant, giblets removed
1 onion, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
5 cardamon pods
50g ghee
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 a green chili, chopped
2tbsp tomato purée
500ml chicken stock
1 handful chopped coriander
1tbsp lime juice