Saturday 2 January 2010

Goat & Spinach Curry

I like to keep myself busy. After having cooked most of the Christmas food for the family, I invited 10 friends round for dinner just before New Year. I decided that after all the roasted meats, potatoes and vegetables associated with Christmas, a selection of curries would be fitting to waken up those tastebuds a bit. And so, there commenced 2 days of chopping onions, mincing garlic and ginger, pestle and mortaring spices. I swear I have biceps like Madonna now after all that.

One of the favourite dishes of the night was this goat and spinach curry. I adapted it from a Rick Stein recipe and although I was suspicious of the amount of spices used, it worked a treat. I made it the day before (but didn't add the spinach puree until just before serving) for all the flavours to amalgamate overnight.

The finished result looks a bit like sludge, but is rich, gamey, and full of flavour. The meat was tender and fell off the bone. I added some cubed lamb neck fillet to bulk it out, but this isn't necessary if you have particularly meaty goat pieces.

Goat & Spinach Curry

Serves 6 (or 11 as part of a 5 dish spread)

1 kg of bone-in goat shoulder chopped in chunks
500gr lamb neck fillet (optional)
1/2 a head of garlic
50gr ginger
6 medium onions
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tumeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 can of chopped tomatoes
4 green chillis
2 large bunches of spinach
200ml water
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
3 tbsp oil

Slice the onions and cook in a pan with the oil slowly, until light brown for about 20 minutes. Put the tomatoes, chilli powder if using, onions, garlic and ginger in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the fried onions and blend again. Return the puree into a large saucepan and add the goat and the salt. Simmer for 40 minutes, then add all the spices except the garam masala. Split the green chillis in half, deseed them and throw them in. Simmer slowly for at least 2 hours. If you're using the lamb neck fillet, add it in at this point and simmer for another hour. If the sauce is looking too thick, add a little water. Skim any fat floating on the surface off.

Meanwhile, steam the spinach until just cooked. Blend into a puree with a little water. When the goat is cooked, stir the spinach into the curry with the garam masala, simmer for a minute and serve, sprinkling the fresh coriander on top.

I served this with this red onion and pomegranate salad, rice and cucumber raita.

18 comments:

Kavey said...

Looks fantastic!

James B said...

I love a good Goat Curry!

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I've never tried goat I don't think! Looks fantastic in the curry

Chris Pople said...

It was brilliant. I, on the other hand, attempted to cook venison pie over Christmas and it was a complete disaster. This is why I don't often cook.

tehbus said...

This looks great and quite an achievement as goat can often be hard to cook. I love the idea of the onion and pomegranate salad, although I doubt it needs the raita ;)

sameer said...

that looks yummy. goat is such a lovely meat. what kind of garam masala did you use? homemade roasted garam masala really makes a difference.

at mooli's, we're hoping to have a goat mooli (mooli being our word for a wrap) in the next week which i am so excited about - its my grandma's recipe! you should come and try one. :D

sam @moolis

Browners said...

Looks like a seriously tasty green sludge. And I use the word sludge as a term of great admiration.

Kerri said...

This looks great, sludgy or not. I can't get goat anywhere near me but am really keen to try cooking with it.

Manuel said...

I will make this....I will make this and then some....


Happy New Year Lizzie...


oh and I've moved back to Well Done Fillet....

mathew said...

we should all learn to love goat meat...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/dining/01goat.html

mathew@moolis
www.moolis.com

Douglas Blyde said...

I want that.

spiltwine said...

Where did you get your goat? Or did I miss that bit?
-Louis

Helen said...

Oh I do love a bit of goat! As you know... I think it is a totally under rated meat. I love nibbling around those bones and pinging the empties into a bowl!

Anne said...

Mmm I had goat for the first time a few weeks back in a Nepalese place and realy enjoyed it, will have to try this as made the lamb version before and it was so gorgeous, just need to find somewhere round here that stocks it..

S said...

hello and happy new year, lizzie. i am back and looking forward to reading your posts again. this curry looks so amazing, i cant believe you did everything from scratch- your talents are never-ending. i dont think it looks like sludge at all, it looks really yummy. with rice and a cucumber raita, it must have been heaven. what did you guys drink with it? ;-)

Hollow Legs said...

Thanks for all your comments. Sorry, I should have mentioned I bought the goat dahhhn Peckham Rye at one of the butchers there.

Bria @ West of Persia said...

Lovely curry. Like some of the other posters said, goat can be a real challenge to cook. Love make-ahead dishes that taste better after a day of sitting in the fridge.

Ino said...

I was looking for a lamb and spinach curry recipe for tonight and I think I might use this one with just lamb instead of goat...looks absolutely yummy!