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Venison and macadamia kofta with tahini yoghurt

Embracing venison offers a delicious, eco-friendly alternative that supports responsible land management.

Venison & macadamia kofta with tahini yoghurt

Credit: Jiwon Kim

  • serves

    4

  • prep

    20 minutes

  • cook

    10 minutes

  • difficulty

    Easy

serves

4

people

preparation

20

minutes

cooking

10

minutes

difficulty

Easy

level

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Ingredients

  • Grapeseed oil, for cooking
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 700 g venison mince (see Note)
  • 5 g ground cumin
  • 4 g ground coriander
  • 2 g cayenne pepper
  • 4 g ground allspice
  • 1 g ground cinnamon
  • 4 g dried mountain pepper leaf
  • 11 g salt
  • 4 g ground black pepper
  • 100 g roasted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
  • Flat-leaf parsley leaves, sumac and olive oil, to serve
For the tahini yoghurt
  • 200 g natural yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
  • A pinch sea salt flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Heat 4 tbsp grapeseed oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, or until softened and translucent but not browned. Remove the onion and garlic to a large bowl and allow to cool completely.
  2. To the bowl with the onions, add the venison mince, ground spices, salt, pepper and macadamias. Mix well to combine, then shape into koftas and transfer to a plate, ready to cook.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the koftas in a single layer and cook for 5-6 minutes (you may need to cook in batches), turning occasionally, until evenly browned on all sides and cooked through. Repeat until all koftas are cooked.
  4. While the koftas are cooking, combine the ingredients for the tahini yoghurt in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Add a splash of water, if needed, to loosen the yoghurt to a smooth texture.
  5. Spoon the tahini yoghurt onto a large serving platter and spread around with the back of a spoon. Top with the venison and macadamia koftas, then sprinkle with parsley and sumac. Finish with a little drizzle of olive oil.

Note
Venison is an introduced species in Australia, with population management programs in place to control their numbers. Despite being free-range, hormone and antibiotic-free, much of the meat goes to waste instead of being eaten. Cooking with venison offers a delicious, eco-friendly alternative.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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Cooking and conversation are a bridge to understanding people and their culture. On The Cook Up with Adam Liaw his guests - world renowned chefs, entertainers, sports and social media stars - prepare food, eat, laugh and give us a glimpse into their lives.
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Published 5 April 2025 4:00pm
By Jo Barrett
Source: SBS



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