Goat Curry

 Indians love goat.  I realised when I moved to Australia that goat meat was a speciality.  It was no where to be found - until one fine day in Adelaide in 1993 - I walked into a "game meat" store where they sold - you guessed it - GOAT meat!!!!  Except if I wanted it I had to buy half a goat as they were not ready to sell small quantities.  Those days it was just me and my husband and half a goat was about 5 kilos. I decided to buy it anyway and freeze it.  That was my first experience with goat in Australia.

These days I can just walk into Preston market and buy it by the kilo - it is freely available and it is very popular.  My first experience with the slaughter and cooking of goat meat was at my aunty Radha's wedding. I was still in primary school but I distinctly remember how every bit of the goat was cooked including the blood.  That is the way it should be - if you are prepared to kill a whole live animal, then be prepared to eat every bit of it from the blood and brains to the meat and bones.  My kids will roll their eyes at me - but that is my philosophy.  I am not a fan of buying just one part and discarding the rest.

This curry is a favourite in my family along with goat biriyani. We are lucky in Melbourne to get beautiful young goat that is freely available by the kilo. I still do buy half a goat if it is 4-5 kilos and get it cut up and then freeze it.   People who are not used to the smell of goat meat might find it a bit "gamey" - but once you get used to it, there will be no going back.

Ingredients:

1 kilo goat meat with bones, wash and drip dry in a colander

2 large onions, sliced

6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled

4-5 green chillies, slit

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 tablespoon meat masala ( grind together 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 a star anise, 2 - 3 cloves, 1 small piece of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon black pepper)

2- 3 sprigs curry leaves

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 cup (250 ml) tomato juice ( you can use coconut milk instead)

1 tablespoon oil

Some roughly broken off pieces of coriander leaves.

Method:

Sprinkle the turmeric and chilli powder on the goat meat.  Rub it in and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil and add the onions, chilli and garlic. Saute for about 5 - 8 minutes till the onions start getting brown.  Now add the meat and start browning it.

Next add the coriander powder and meat masala and brown it some more.  When the masalas are cooked ( you get the fragrance of cooked spices) - add in the tomatoes. Sauté some more and add salt to taste.  Add one of the curry leaf sprigs in as well to give extra flavour.

Add half a cup of water, set the flame on low and allow the meat to cook.  Check every now and again to make sure the meat has not dried up. After about 30 to 40 minutes, you will end up with something like this:

The meat should be fully cooked now. Check for salt and add if needed.  At this stage, if there is not enough chilli add some black pepper.

Lastly, add the tomato juice (or coconut milk if using that) and allow it to thicken and highlight the rich red colours.

Garnish with roughly shredded coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, roti or parotta.