Goat Curry – There’s A New Kid On The Block

Until recently, getting goat meat in Ireland was near impossible. There are plenty of farmers producing excellent goat’s milk and cheese. But, goat meat, no. Thankfully, that is no longer the case with some more adventurous farmers now producing top quality goat. Some of our more progressive butchers are stocking it too. And that’s how I got my hands on a part deconstructed shoulder of goat. Perfect for preparing a goat curry. I have cooked goat a couple of times before and found it to be a delicious, lean meat. It is unworthy of it’s reputation for being tough and tasteless.  When it comes to flavour and texture, there really is a new kid on the block.

Lots of flavours deliver lots of flavour.

To prepare this delicious goat curry for six people, you will need the following ingredients;

• 1 goat shoulder
• 4 medium onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 500ml of good chicken stock
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 slices of ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cloves
• 8 to 10 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons of turmeric
• 2 teaspoons of paprika
• 2 teaspoons of chilli flakes
• 2 teaspoons of garam marsala
• Salt and pepper

Despite the long list, this is an easy curry to construct. First, get your kid on the block.

Get that goat joke? Get your kid on the block!

Slice the meat into bite size pieces. Don’t discard the bones. The bones and the marrow will add flavour and texture to our curry. There is no need to trim the fat. There is so little that you will need it all. Heat a casserole and brown the meat in a little oil.

Brown everything on the meat, even the bones.

Pod the cardamom seeds. Chop the garlic up small. Quarter the onions.

You can even cut the onions into eights, if you wish.

When the meat is browned, reserve and soften the onions in the same casserole. Sweat them with a little of the stock, over a low heat. When they are done, add back the meat. Add all the remaining ingredients bar the garam marsala.

There is a lot of flavour going in to this delicious curry.

Bring the dish to a gentle boil. Cover tightly and place in a 160ºC oven for three to four hours. Stir in the garam marsala about half an hour before serving. The end result will be a warming curry with delicious sweet meat. Serve with plain rice and a big dollop of mango chutney.

This is a really gorgeous curry. worthy of its status of new kid on the block.

It is great to see goat becoming a bit more mainstream here in Ireland. The meat is sweet, tasty and had a nice bite to it too. Why not give it a go? You could become the culinary new kid on your block. No kidding.