Ingredients:
- 1kg goat or lamb (see Cook’s tip)
- 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Bunch of coriander, leaves and roots
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Groundnut oil for frying
- Salt
- Curry blend:
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 12 cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp turmeric
Method:
First make the spice blend. Roast the coriander seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods, fenugreek and cinnamon in a dry frying pan for a few minutes. Then grind to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar or coffee grinder. Mix with the ground ginger and turmeric. You only need 2 tbsp of the spice blend for this recipe so keep the rest in an airtight container for another time.
Cut the meat into large chunks. Trim off excess fat but don’t be too fastidious as the fat gives the dish flavour and keeps the meat succulent. You can always skim off excess fat at the end of cooking.
Place the meat in a large bowl and add the 2 tbsp of spice mix along with the tomatoes, garlic, onion, chilli, thyme leaves, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything well together using your hands, massaging the mixture well into the meat. Separate the coriander leaves from the stalks. Finely chop the stalks and add to the meat mixture: keep the leaves for garnishing the finished dish. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour or two or preferably overnight.
When ready to cook, heat the oven to 120C.
Remove the meat from the marinade, knocking off any bits of onion or tomato. Reserve the marinade – this will be cooked later. Heat a large frying pan and add a good splash of oil. Over a high heat, fry the meat in batches until it is very well browned. Transfer to a large casserole. Add a little more oil and add the reserved marinade to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium anf fry the marinade, stirring, for a few minutes until the onions have softened. Add this to the meat in the casserole. Deglaze the pan with a little water and add this to the casserole. Pour in enough water to just cover the meat and add a good pich of salt.
On the hob, bring the casserole to the boil, stir, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 or until the meat is very tender. Skim off excess fat if you wish and check the seasoning. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice.