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Bollywood movies are usually a mixture of love, violence, drama and sex.

Most cooking is like that too: Love comes from the family member who adores cooking; violence is the agitation or passion in one's heart that goes into creating a dish; drama comes from the interaction between people you are cooking for; and sex, like food, is the pinnacle of sensory enjoyment.

Bollywood movies and cooking are intertwined in other ways.

Chefs are like crazy artists - not only do they have to please the palate but also the senses, as well as live up to peoples' expectations and try to make money. And owning a restaurant is like a stage show - at a certain time, the curtains are drawn and the show begins. The job of the chef is to please the audience with food, and the servers are there to entertain. No one aspect is more important than the other.

The foods of India, like its movie industry, are regional. Only a few actors become popular in each other's territories, and only certain foods are popular everywhere in India. Just a few south Indian dishes, for example - dosas, idlis and vadas - or Punjabi dishes - chole batura, butter chicken - are popular in other regions.

At Rangoli, the sister restaurant to Vij's, we tried to make dosas; our Punjabi cooks made them well, but I knew we were not doing justice to the dish, so we finally took them off the menu.

Indian food is as complex as a film production, but when all the pieces come together it can be very rewarding.

One of the complex dishes I make is seared venison medallions with fig and roasted pomegranate khoa in a pomegranate curry.

SEARED VENISON MEDALLIONS

WHAT YOU NEED

POMEGRANATE SEEDS

1/2 cup dried pomegranate seeds

VENISON

1 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground roasted pomegranate seeds

21/4 pounds boneless venison Denver (hind) leg

POMEGRANATE CURRY

8 black cardamom pods

9 ounces ground dried pomegranate seeds

2 tablespoons white sugar

10 cups water

3/4 cup ghee

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 pound onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon salt

FIG AND KHOA FILLING

1 cup finely chopped onion (1 large)

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil

21/2 ounces dried figs, finely chopped (about 8 figs)

1 cup khoa (or whole-milk

ricotta cheese)

1 teaspoon ground roasted pomegranate seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

WHAT YOU DO

Pomegranate seeds: Squeeze a handful of the dried pomegranate seeds (available at Indian markets) and take note of how moist and sticky they are.

In a small frying pan, heat seeds on low heat, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes. Remove and cool for five to 10 minutes, then spread on a flat plate or a baking tray. Cool 10 more minutes.

Squeeze a handful of the seeds to make sure they feel much drier. They should no longer stick to your hand. If they don't feel drier, cook five minutes on low heat.

Grind seeds in a coffee or spice grinder. Do not grind long because the seeds can stick to the grinder and burn out the motor. Empty ground seeds and powder into a fine-mesh sieve and sift into a bowl. Discard the seeds that didn't grind. Measure 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the ground powder and set aside.

Venison: In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, salt, black pepper and ground pomegranate seeds.

Cut venison leg lengthwise along the grain in three long pieces. Cut each piece into eight 1½-ounce cubes, about 2½ to 3 inches each. With a mallet, gently pound the pieces four to five times to form a "medallion."

Mix venison in the marinade, coating the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours or up to two days.

Pomegranate curry: Lightly pound cardamom pods and peel off and discard the skin. Empty the seeds into a large pot. Add pomegranate seeds, sugar and water and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.

Turn off the heat and cool for at least 30 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard seeds.

Heat ghee in a medium pot on medium heat. As soon as it has melted, add cumin seeds and sizzle for 45 seconds. Add onions and sauté for eight to 10 minutes, until brown. Stir in flour and cook, stirring regularly, for six to seven minutes, until light brown.

Stir in cumin, cayenne and salt and cook for one minute, stirring regularly. Pour in pomegranate stock and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer curry, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

Fig and khoa filling: In a small frying pan, sauté onions in oil on medium heat for four to five minutes. Reduce heat to low and add figs. Sauté another two minutes. Add khoa (or ricotta cheese) and cook until it melts completely, (two to three minutes for khoa, 10 minutes for ricotta), stirring constantly. Add ground pomegranate, salt and cayenne and cook for one minute. Turn off heat, cool for five minutes and transfer to a bowl.

Finish venison: Heat a frying pan on medium heat for two minutes. Mix venison in marinade once more, then place four pieces in the pan and sear for about two minutes. Turn venison over and sear for another two minutes, for medium rare.

As soon as the venison is cooked, place two medallions side by side on a plate and top each one with ¾ to 1 teaspoon of the fig-khoa filling. Cover each with another medallion. Repeat process for remaining venison.

Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Arrange two stacks of medallions on each plate. Pour curry over the venison.

Serves 6.

Vikram Vij is chef and owner of Vij's restaurant.