PERUVIAN VENISON STIR FRY
Updated: May 4
This venison stir fry recipe is one of my favorite Peruvian dishes to make with wild game. Not only is it tasty, but it also highlights Peru's culinary influence from Chinese food. In the late 1800's Chinese workers arrived in Peru and worked the guano and sugarcane plantations. Peruvian and Chinese cuisines then melded together, creating one of the original "fusion style" eateries known as Chifas. The inspiration for this dish comes from the classic Peruvian beef stir fry dish called lomo saltado.
It's a mixture of classic Chinese stir-fry ingredients with the addition of tomatoes and potatoes. And if you know anything about Peruvian food, you'll know that's where the addition of potatoes comes from.
This venison stir fry is about as easy as it gets and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes after the potatoes are partially cooked.
Venison Stir Fry Sauce
The sauce is a delicious yet simple component of this dish and can be made ahead of time if needed. The majority of the ingredients are simple and easy to find in most grocery stores or online. You may need to check your local Asian market for Xiao Xing wine but fear not, there are substitutions.
The sauce includes these ingredients:
Fresh Ginger - This adds a zesty pungent flavor to the sauce. And if you don't have fresh ginger, the minced ginger found in jars works well.
Lots of Garlic - This is a garlic-forward sauce thats balanced out nicely with the sweet and saltiness of the other ingredients.
Red Pepper Flakes - A welcomed addition of a little heat that adds some spice to the dish. If you're not a fan of spicy meals, you can definitely leave the chili flakes out.
Soy Sauce - Most of us a familiar with the flavors of soy sauce, but be sure to use the naturally brewed variety. They do not contain any artificial ingredients and taste much better than the varieties made with corn syrup and caramel color.
Stock - Stock add a nice flavor to the sauce as with most sauces. You can use light chicken stock here but if you make your own venison stock, that works even better. You also have the option of using water in place of the stock. Whatever stock you use, I highly recommend low sodium so the sauce doesn't become too salty.
Xiao Xing Wine - This is a delicious Chinese rice wine that is used throughout Chinese cooking. If you can't find any at your local grocery store, you can order it online or substitute it with a dry white wine or sherry.
Sesame Oil - There are usually two varieties of sesame oil found in grocery stores. A regular sesame oil and a toasted sesame oil. You can use whichever one you can get your hands on, but the toasted version is a great addition that adds a rich nutty flavor that can't be beat.
Sugar - Just enough sweetness to balance out the spiciness of the chili flakes and the saltiness of the soy sauce. You can also substitute honey or coconut sugar with great results
WORKING AHEAD
The soy glaze can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Just place in an airtight container and store in your refrigerator until ready to use.
The potatoes can be pre-cooked up to 2 days ahead of time. After pre-cooking the potatoes, drain them and let them cool to room temperature. Then cover and store in the refrigerator.
The Venison can be sliced, covered and kept in the fridge 1 day before you plan to cook the stir fry.
DIFFERENT CUTS OF VENISON TO USE FOR STIR FRY
You want to use the same deer meat that you would use for venison steaks. These can come from the deer's hind quarter, which consists of 3 cuts. The top round and bottom round steaks and the eye of round. You can also use the backstraps and tenderloins with great success.
Just make sure that you remove any visible silver skin from the meat before cutting it into strips. Whatever you do, don't use a cut of venison with connective tissue running through the meat or you'll be chewing on each bite for around 5 minutes before you're able to break it down. The cuts you don't want to use are the neck, shanks and ball roast.
HOW TO CUT VENISON FOR STIR FRY
Venison is a lean meat that hardly contains any fat. So when cutting it for stir fries, you want to try your best to cut the meat thinly and against the grain. If you cook a thick and lean piece of meat to a well-done internal temperature, it will be very tough and chewy.
If you slice it very thin and against the grain, the muscle fibers will break apart much easier while chewing. If you're having trouble cutting your deer meat thinly, my favorite way to manage this is to place it in the freezer for around an hour to firm up a bit. This is a great way to give you a firmer piece of meat that's easier to cut with a knife.
Looking for other recipes? These are a some of my favorites:
Slow Cooker Chinese Red Venison Shoulder
Lastly, if you make this easy venison stir fry recipe, be sure to leave a rating or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you've made.
VENISON STIR FRY RECIPE
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 3 to 4
Author: Larry White
INGREDIENTS
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon minced ginger
6 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water, light chicken stock or venison stock
1/4 cup Xiao Xing cooking wine or dry white wine
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons sugar
FOR THE STIR FRIED VENISON
6 tablespoons olive oil or peanut oil
2 pounds - boneless venison, cut into thin strips
4 - russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice)
2 - yellow or red bell peppers, sliced
1 large red or yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
4 spring onions, sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
FOR THE SAUCE
Heat a small pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic and ginger. Cook for about two minutes or until the garlic is translucent and tender.
Add the wine and reduce to about half.
Add the soy sauce, water, sugar and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat. Set aside for later.
FOR THE POTATOES
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes.
Place the potatoes in a pot of water. Bring to a slow simmer and cook the potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain and completely dry off with paper towels or a kitchen towel. The potatoes should be just tender enough to pierce with a fork.
Set the potatoes to the side.
FOR THE STIR FRY
Season the sliced venison with salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan or large wok, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat.
Brown with meat quickly, 2-3 minutes at most. Cook in batches if you don't have a large enough pan. Remove the meat and set aside.
Add the par-boiled and dried potatoes to the pan and cook while stirring for around 3 minutes. Check to see if one of the cubes is cooked thoroughly. If it's still a little hard, cook for another minute or 2 adding more cooking oil if needed. Remove and set the potatoes to the side.
Discard the cooking oil that's left in the pan. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and heat over medium high heat.
Add the bell peppers and onions, cook while stirring for about 2 minutes.
Add the soy glaze, potatoes, tomatoes and venison to the pan and stir until everything is mixed and coated with the sauce. About 30 seconds and remove from the heat.
Serve with rice or with noodles. Top with fresh cilantro, green onions and maybe a little sprinkle of sesame seeds.
CHEFS NOTES:
Substituting the Potatoes: To save time, cut corners or to simply add some texture, you can substitute the potatoes listed in the recipe by using crispy french fries or by sprinkling crispy canned potato sticks on top of the stir fry after it has been cooked.
Add More Fresh Vegetables: To make this dish healthier and more flavorful you can make this venison stir fry with broccoli or shredded carrots. These vegetables add a nice crunch and flavor profile to the overall dish.
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