Rabbit Curry

This is a British-style rabbit curry, closer to the mild kormas that ruled English dinner tables in the 1960s than to anything you’d find in an Indian home kitchen. The rabbit gets brushed with butter, dredged in flour, and baked until tender before being pulled off the bone, which is a smart move, deboning a whole rabbit raw is fiddly work.

Sour cream, chicken broth, and a Granny Smith apple form the sauce base, with curry powder and orange zest adding warmth and brightness. It’s mild, creamy, and a little sweet.

Sautéing the onion and chopped apple together in butter at the start is crucial for building flavor depth. The apple softens and almost dissolves into the sauce, adding natural sweetness that balances the curry spice without needing added sugar.

Adding the chicken broth and sour cream slowly while stirring constantly prevents the sauce from breaking, a common problem with dairy-based curry sauces. Keep the heat low once the sour cream goes in, boiling will curdle the sauce fast.

Return the deboned rabbit to the pan just long enough to heat through, extra cooking turns the tender meat stringy.

Serve over basmati rice or plain long-grain rice.

Kitchen Tips

• Turn the rabbit at least once during baking, it dries out fast if one side sits in butter for too long
• Use a quality curry powder, cheap blends taste one-dimensional and dusty in a creamy sauce
• Don’t let the sauce boil after the sour cream goes in, curdled sour cream makes a grainy mess
• Add a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end to brighten the finished curry

Variations

• Swap rabbit for chicken thighs if rabbit is unavailable, the cooking times and techniques match
• Add a handful of golden raisins and toasted almonds for a classic korma touch
• Stir in a tablespoon of mango chutney at the end for extra sweet-spicy complexity