Jamaican curry goat, fall-off-the-bone tender meat cooked in a spicy yet fragrant curry sauce loaded with spring onions, allspice and thyme.
This is very much a slow-cooked dish that benefits from an overnight marinade before a 3-hour cooking time. But it is very easy, and most of your time is spent kicking bac,k drinking in the heady aroma.
Jamaican Curried Goat
There is no denying that I have a "thing" for curry! This curry goat recipe joins a host of curries from around the world.
I have classic Thai curries like beef massaman curry, Japanese katsu curry, of course, a British Indian chicken tikka masala, alongside more classic Indian Curries like this vegan rajma masala.
I've got somewhere in the region of 100 curry recipes knocking around my website, so you have plenty to choose from.
This curry goat recipe is my take on a classic Jamaican dish, it is fiery with Scotch bonnet chilli peppers but really herb and fragrant.
Despite all of the flavours, roughly cut goat meat that is cooked on the bone is the star of this dish.
It cooks slowly in a heavily flavoured broth for a couple of hours before potatoes are added to add substance to the dish. They also act as a thickening agent for the boldly flavoured curry sauce!
Frequently Asked Questions.
Where can I buy goat meat on the bone?
The obvious answer to this question is a Jamaican or Caribbean supermarket. If you live in a large town or city, there should be one that you can travel to.
If you are not in a large city, then it is readily available online. If you are not keen on shopping online for meat, then you could use mutton and turn this into a Jamaican mutton curry.
Mutton is readily available in Indian and Pakistani stores as well as Turkish and Greek stores.
Can I use Indian Curry Powder?
Yes, although the flaovur profiles will vary greatly. It is important to use a mild curry powder because Jamaican and Caribbean curry powders don't typically contain chilli.
The heat in this recipe comes from Scotch Bonnet chilli peppers.
What is a Scotch Bonnet Chilli Pepper?
It is a very similar wee beastie to the closely related habanero pepper.
They are both hot, real hot, around 100,000-250,000 on the Scoville scale. To give that some context, Jalapeno ranks at about 5,000 and Cayenne around 50,000! So glove up when chopping your chilli.
The main difference between habanero and scotch bonnet is that the latter has a bit of sweetness that the habanero lacks. You could use habanero in this recipe without any alterations.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, this reheats wonderfully, and it will happily sit in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestions
I personally consider this recipe to be a complete meal and would often serve it as it is.
If I'm feeling greedy, then I'll serve it with rice and peas as I have here. I once ordered curry goat in a restaurant, and it came with fried plantain, which was really rather good.
Of course, you could serve this dish with any plain rice, brown or white; there is more than enough flaovur to go around.
Another option that I love to serve with this dish is fried Jamaican dumplings. They are usually eaten for breakfast or lunch, but I love them with a curry!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 24cm or 10" saucepan.
- A medium bowl or a large bag to marinate the goat meat.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Vegetable peeler.
- Grater.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g Bone-in Goat Meat 17oz
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 2 Spring Onions Plus Extra to Garnish
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 15 g Ginger ½ thumb-sized piece
- 1 Scotch Bonnet Chilli Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 3 tablespoon Jamaican Curry Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon White Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 750 ml Water 3 Cups
- 3-4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Vegetable Stock Powder
- 300-350 g Potatoes 1¾-2¼ Cups
Instructions
- Cut the onion in half, peel it and then cut it into a 1cm (just under ½") dice.
- Shred the spring onions as finely as you can.
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic cloves.
- Peel and grate the ginger.
- Chop the Scotch Bonnet chilli pepper as finely as you can.
- Place the goat in a bowl and add the onion, spring onion, garlic, ginger, chilli pepper, two tablespoons of the curry powder, allspice, white pepper and lime juice, then give everything a stir and allow it to marinate for as long as you can. Upto 24 hours!
- Heat a 24cm or 10" heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat and add the oil. Throw in the remaining curry powder and give it a quick stir to toast.
- Add the marinated goat and onion mix. Cook until the goat is nicely coloured.
- Pour over the water using just enough to cover the meat, add the stock powder, salt and fresh thyme, give everything a stir and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low, add a lid and cook for 2 hours.
- After the curry has had 2 hours cooking, peel the potatoes and cut them into a 30-35mm or 1¼-1½" dice and stir them into the curry. You should also have a taste now and add more salt if required.Increase the heat to medium and cook for another 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and the curry has thickened a little.
tom
Tuesday 14th of March 2023
hi brian could i make this in the slow cooker regards tom
Brian Jones
Saturday 1st of April 2023
Hey Tom, sorry it took a while to respond, I've been away on holiday. Yes, this would be fine in the slow cooker, I've got this on a list to revisit in the coming weeks and will test it for you, but gut instinct says 6 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
Enjoy.
Brian