Venison works wonderfully with fragrant spices, says Philippa Davis. Try these venison meatballs with ginger, coconut and spinach for a spicy, weekday supper.

You can’t beat venison with a side of something that kicks. Try our fillet of venison with sloe gin and anchovy sauce, an excellent game supper party main.

VENISON MEATBALLS WITH GINGER, COCONUT AND SPINACH

The flavour of venison mince is perfectly suited to working well with lots of fragrant spices, as is the case with this dish.

Venison Balls

• 500g venison mince
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 lime, zest only
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 egg
• 30g white breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Coconut Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 white onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 30g peeled and finely chopped ginger
• 30g coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 1 lime, juice only
• 260g spinach

To serve

• Naan or flatbreads

For the venison balls, in a bowl, mix all the venison ball ingredients together, except for the olive oil, and form into 16 equal-sized balls.

In a wide pan on a medium heat gently sear the balls in the olive oil. Once nicely browned, remove the balls to a plate and leave to one side while you make the sauce.

For the coconut and ginger sauce, in the same pan on a low heat sauté the garlic, onions and ginger in the olive oil until soft, about 15 minutes, then add the finely chopped coriander stalks. Cook for a few more minutes then add the coconut milk and season.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes before adding back the meat balls and cooking for a further 10 minutes.

Just before serving, add the lime juice and spinach, allowing the spinach to wilt, and check the seasoning.

Serve with the roughly chopped coriander leaves scattered on top. Delicious accompanied with warm flatbreads or naans.