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Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Curry Goat.

Do we really need another Curry Goat recipe? If the technique is different than the ones I’ve already shared, absolutely YES we do! Over the years we done Curry Goat in the Oven, in the Slow Cooker, Coal Pot, Pressure Cooker, and the more traditional low and slow way. However, in none of those recipes did we employ the use of this technique of cooking curry.

You’ll Need…

4-5 lbs goat (with bones)
1 lime or lemon (see note)
1 medium onion (sliced)
10-14 cloves gallic (smashed)
2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (use your fav oil)
2 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2 bay leaves | 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon Anchar Masala
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (geera)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (see note)
2 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
4-6 pimento berries (allspice)
1 large tomato (diced)
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
water
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Notes! May I suggest that you watch the video below as I share valuable washing, cutting, and other important steps in more detail. I used goat meat with bones as I much prefer the deeper flavor I get from doing so. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free requirements. Especially the Curry Powder you use as some may contain fillers. The Anchar Masala can be sourced at your local or online West Indian grocers. In total I used close to two Scotch Bonnet peppers as I enjoy my Curry Goat spicy. You’re free to use as much or less to your own heat tolerance.

In a deep heavy pot on a medium flame, add the oil, followed by the onion and garlic. Cook on low for 2 minutes, then add the cumin seeds, black pepper, 1/2 a scotch bonnet pepper and Caribbean Green Seasoning. Cook for another 3 minutes on low, stirring a few times.

Add the curry powder and stir well. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Now turn the heat up to medium and add 1 1/2 cups water. Followed by the pimento berries, tomato, and Anchar Masala. Should you not have the masala, use 1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin (geera).

The goal here is to cook out the ‘rawness’ of the curry, while building a wicked curry base. Add the bay leaves. The tomato will help us later develop a wonderful gravy and the acidity brings balance to the overall flavor of the curry.

Cook on a rapid boil until all of the liquid is gone. This step will concentrate the overall flavor of the curry. In the video I explained that I want to see the oil we started with, plus get separation when I pass my spatula.

At this point we’ll add the washed and drained goat to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium/high as we want to sear the pieces of goat and in the process coat it with the curry. No we did not season the goat in advance and in the video I explained how and why I washed the the goat with the lime juice.

Turn the heat to medium, cover the pot and let the goat spring it’s own juices as it comes to a boil. After which, turn the heat to med/low and let it cook with the lid slightly ajar for 10 minutes.

Time to move on. Remove the lid, turn up the heat and burn off that liquid.

We now have to add liquid to slowly braise the goat until fork tender. I’ve been asked about using chicken and/or beef stock instead of the water I prefer using. Note that should you use stock, it will alter the taste of the finished curry. If I were to use any stock, it’d go for a vegetable one.

Add boiling water to the pot to cover the goat by about 1 inch or so. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer, add the salt and allow it to cook with the lid on (slightly ajar) for 2- 3 hours. Yes it will take long and as explained in the video, the cook time (getting tender) will depend on how old the goat was when it was butchered. An older goat will obviously take longer to tenderize.

As it came up to a boil I added the sprigs of time and floated a Fatali pepper (optional), which I broke later on to release the heat. Should you want to control the heat of this curry goat, do not add a scotch bonnet at the start when we did. Instead, float a WHOLE pepper at this point and Do NOT break it. Near the end, remove the pepper and discard. You’ll get a subtle kiss of heat and tons of flavor from the oils on the skin of the pepper.

Remember to stir every 20 minutes or so and make sure there’s water so it doesn’t burn (add if necessary). After about 2 and 1/2 hours, check to see if it’s tender to your liking and you may as well taste and adjust the salt now.

Once you’re happy with the salt and tenderness, adjust the gravy (turn up the heat to thicken.. but keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools). Final step is to add the parsley and turn off the stove. Since goat can be fatty (unless you use lean boneless), I find that the parsley cuts the fat a bit. Traditionally you’d use Shado Beni (culantro) or cilantro (coriander) instead.

We didn’t season and marinate the goat over night, however you’ll be pleasantly surprised how delicious this Curry Goat is.

Low and slow is the game. Yes a pressure cooker will cut the time by about 75%, but I can guarantee you, it will not be as tasty.

Meat & Poultry

The Ultimate Curry Goat Recipe.

jamaica curry goatEver since my Ultimate Curry Chicken recipe I’ve decided to attach the word “Ultimate” to any dish I make for sharing with you all, that goes beyond my expectations. I must say that I’ve never been a fan of curry goat and I’m sure I can count the number of times I’ve had it on my fingers. But I’m so glad that I tried this recipe a couple nights ago, so I now have  a new appreciation for it. For the great cook that my mom is and I guess I can add my sister, aunts and grandmother to the list… I think I’ve trumped them all with this recipe. Just don’t tell them I said that.. that will lead to “confusion”.

For those of you who showed interest in the recipe when I mentioned I was cooking it the other night on the Face Book Fan page, I do apologize for the delay in actually posting it here. Lately I’ve been swamped work with the new website I launched as well as my other web properties, so finding time to blog about cooking is not as easy as before.

You’ll Need

2 lbs goat cut into 1-2 inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
1 medium onion sliced
3 cloves garlic crushed or sliced thin
3 sprigs thyme
1 tomato sliced
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (any hot pepper you like)
2 scallions
1/2 teaspoon curry powder for seasoning the meat
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder for cooking
1/4 teaspoon geera powder (cumin)
1/4 teaspoon amchar masala (optional but goes well with this dish)
1 leaf Spanish thyme crushed (optional)
4 leaves shado beni (bhandhanya)
1/2 teaspoon ketchup
3 tablespoon oil (something that can withstand high heat)
3 1/4 cups water

* If you don’t have access to the shado beni you can use 1 table spoon of green seasoning or 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro.

* I used boned goat meat, but feel free to use boneless if you want. If using boned, remember to get the butcher to cut it into pieces for you as the bones are VERY tough and will do damage to your knives.

* If you can’t get goat meat, I’m sure you can use lamb with great results.

Wash and drain the meat, then season with everything listed above except the water, oil, onion, garlic, pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder. BTW if you’re wondering what curry powder I use, it’s the Raja Jahan Special Madras curry. Made by Turban Brand Products of Trinidad and Tobago, it’s my absolute favourite. Mix well, cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hrs. Try to seal tight as the smell can easily overwhelm the inside of your fridge. Remember to take it out of the fridge about 10 minutes before cooking so it gets back to room temperature.

seasoned goat for curry

trinidad curry goat

Here’s a pic of the geera and amchar masalaI used (my 2 secret ingredients) :

curry for goat recipe

Lets get to cooking now. In a heavy pot put the oil to heat on medium/high, then add the onion and garlic and allow to cook for a few minutes (until they go soft and the garlic releases it’s flavours). Now add the hot pepper and curry powder so it cooks with the onion and garlic. Give this a minute or 2, until it starts to stick or go really thick. Now add a 1/4 cup of water and allow this to cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring.

As the water dries off, you’ll notice that the curry will take on a sort of grainy texture and the oil will start being visible again at the bottom of the pot. The colour of the curry will also go darker.. this is an indication that it’s time to add the seasoned meat to the pot.

curry goat recipe

guyana goat curry

goat curry

cooking curry for goat recipe

Turn up the heat and start adding the pieces of seasoned goat a few pieces at a time and stir between each batch you add. This will allow each piece to get coasted with the curry sauce we just created. After you’ve added all the meat, there are 3 steps.

1. Cover the pot and bring to a gentle simmer (it will release it’s own juices).

2. Add the 3 cups of water left from the ingredient list to the bowl that had the seasoned pieces of meat. This will allow the water to pick up any of the seasonings that may be left behind. Set that aside for later.

3. Stir every 5 minutes or so.

jamaican curry goat

currying goat recipe

cooking curry goat

Allow this to cook for about 25 minutes on a gentle simmer, then remove the lid and turn up the heat. We now need to burn off all those natural juices that were released as it simmered. You’ll know when it’s all gone when you stir the pot and can see the bottom of it without any liquid. Now add the 3 cups of water we had transferred to the bowl we seasoned the meat in. Bring that to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and let it do it’s thing. Remember to keep it covered and stir every 15 minutes or so. We’re basically braising the meat so it’s nice and tender with a rich thick gravy. This can take up to 1 1/2 – 2 hours depending on how soft you like your meat and how old the goat was before it was butchered. Older goats will take longer to cook.

TIP: Feel free to use a pressure cooker for the step (when we added the 3 cups of water) to cut back drastically on the cooking time. I’ve also seen my aunt do this step in the oven as well. She puts it in a baking dish covered with tin foil and set at about 375 and it cooks away slowly in there. Since I’ve never used a pressure cooker, I’m afraid I can’t say how long it will take using that cooking option.

cooking trini style curry goat

how to cook curry goat

After 1 1/2 hrs, it’s time to test to see if it’s as tender as you like. Simply take a piece out and allow to cool on a side plate, then press with a fork or bite off a piece to see how tender it is. If you’re happy with it’s texture, it’s time to reduce the gravy to a thickness you like. Usually the gravy will be perfect, but if you find that it’s a bit runny, simply raise the heat and burn off. Pay close attention so you don’t burn it in the final stages of cooking.

jamaica curry goat

curry goat

trini curry goat

So what do you pair this with? This is a classic dish to eat with rice (most people like white rice, but I’m a HUGE fan of brown rice), ground provisions, roti (any type), at Jamaican restaurants you’ll get rice and peas, great for sucking up the gravy with pita bread and if all fails… level it down on it’s own 🙂

Leave me your comments or different versions of this recipe in the box provided below. It’s really appreciated. BTW, this will easily serve 4-5 people.

Happy cooking

chris…

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