Venison Mandarin-Orange Teriyaki Stir-Fry Recipe

A proper stir-fry is perfect for venison as this hot-and-fast method ensures your game will finish at medium-rare (or close to it). In this instance, yes, you can use slices from any hindquarter roast, or you can even opt to use trim or cuts from the front quarter. With any cut of meat, when you shorten muscle fibers, you reduce chewiness. Because we are slicing our venison to bite-size pieces that are 1/4- to 1-/2-inch thick, these smaller pieces, even from the front quarter, will result in a tender texture.

I have yet to find a store-bought teriyaki sauce that I enjoy, so years ago I took matters into my own hands. This sauce is not complicated and if you enjoy Japanese cuisine, you will find a lot of the ingredients here are interchangeable and can be used in many other dishes. For a side pairing that will serve as a foundation for your dish, you can choose Japanese noodles or rice, or work up some fried rice. The real star here is the venison stir-fry with homemade teriyaki sauce, so if you just want to eat that by itself, you could do that too.

If you don’t want to slice vegetables, feel welcome to purchase a pre-sliced vegetable bag from the freezer section, or even a stir-fry kit. The overall goal is to make use of any cut of venison in a less-traditional, delicious dish.

Venison Mandarin-Orange Teriyaki Stir-Fry

Ingredients (four servings):

1 pound venison trim or hindquarter roast, sliced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium yellow onion, julienne

1 cup fresh carrots, finely diced

2 cups fresh broccoli, cut into florets

8 ounces sliced baby portabello mushrooms

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, mixed use

Sunflower or peanut oil, mixed use

2 cups basmati rice

2 cups crushed peanuts for garnish

1 stalk scallions (green onions), sliced (optional garnish)

Mandarin Teriyaki Ingredients

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 Mirin rice wine

3/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger

1-1/2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon pure sesame oil

2 to 4 teaspoons corn starch slurry (more directions below)

2 mandarin oranges, peeled and split into slices

Optional pairings:

Rice noodles

Lo mein

Buckwheat Soba noodles

Ramen

Jasmine Rice

Fried Rice

Directions:

Add all mandarin teriyaki ingredients EXCEPT mandarin orange slices and corn starch slurry to a medium sauce pot.  Heat up honey so it pours easier. Set pot to simmer for half hour.

In another medium pot, add 2 cups basmati rice and 2-3/4 cups of cold water, cover with lid. Bring to boil then reduce to low once boiling. Once all water is absorbed, turn off burner and leave lid on.

To finish teriyaki sauce, add mandarin oranges along with corn starch slurry. (For slurry, start with 2 teaspoons of corn starch added to a mixing bowl, then drizzle in water and mix by hand until it turns to a liquid). Stir thoroughly and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes. For thicker sauce, add 2 more teaspoons of corn starch slurry (or more).

In a wok or large cast iron skillet, heat a thin layer of oil on medium-high. Once oil surface temp reaches 500 degrees Fahrenheit, add onion, carrots, and broccoli and lightly salt and pepper.

Toss or stir until all vegetables are seared and slightly soft. Remove and set aside on a plate. Add another thin layer of oil then toss in sliced venison, lightly salt and pepper. Cook for long enough to get a sear, usually 2-3 minutes.

Add vegetables back along with sliced mushrooms. Stir and oil lightly if necessary, stir until mushrooms are slightly cooked, approximately 2 minutes.

To finish dish, add sauce to pan or wok with vegetables and venison, toss thoroughly then plate rice and top with venison and vegetables, ladle over extra sauce. Garnish with crushed peanuts and sliced scallions.

Enjoy! Reach out to me on Instagram (@WildGameJack) with any questions or comments.

Try out other recipes from Jack Hennessy:

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