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Trinidadian Curry Goat
Trinidadian Curry Goat – goat pieces marinated in fresh green seasonings, then curried to perfection. This Trinidadian Curry Goat recipe results in the most tender goat, with an intense + tasty curry flavour. It’s to die for!
Curry goat is one of the most popular dishes in Trinidad and Tobago, especially for special occasions. The goat meat is usually slow-cooked, giving it its deep + bold flavour profile, (and tender meat).
In my household, curry goat is an absolute essential dish for every occasion (it makes the perfect Eid recipe!). It quite literally brings my family together, that’s how good it is. It’s a childhood favourite of mine, and so it’s very important that the recipe goes onto my blog!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Yields the most mouthwatering, saucy, spicy curry goat!
- It’s a go-to Trinidadian/Caribbean dish to have on the table for most special occasions, like Eid!
- You can serve this with either rice or roti.
- The ingredients needed are not difficult to find in your local grocery store/Caribbean store/International grocery store.
- Marinating the day before saves you a good amount of time the day of cooking.
Ingredients Needed
Goat meat: although you can make this recipe with boneless goat, you will be missing out on tons of flavour. The bones add a lot of flavour to the overall dish, so I highly recommend using bone-in goat. You will also need to trim any excess fat off the goat meat, so that you don’t end up with a sauce that is too greasy.
Fresh seasonings: onion, garlic, green onion, thyme, chadon beni, and scotch bonnet add so much flavour to the Trini curry goat and complements the curry flavour so well. The seasoning for curry goat works its magic in the recipe, which means you don’t need to overdo it with other dried spices.
Salt, black pepper, curry powder, masala, cumin: these dried spices are added into the curry goat in small quantities but take the dish up a notch, for sure! The curry powder is one of the most important ingredients. Different brands have different tastes. You can experiment to find your favourite. My preference is Chief brand curry powder. The masala (AKA black masala or amchar masala) and cumin are by no means necessary but I think they both add extra flavour that makes the best curry goat, so they are both included in this recipe. The masala, specifically, adds another depth of flavour.
How to Make Curry Goat
If you want to make some seriously tasty curry goat, Trinidad-style, these easy-to-follow instructions will make it simple.
(Huge disclaimer: curry goat can be cooked in many ways, as each cook has his/her own preferences. This Trinidadian curry goat recipe is the way that my (Trinidadian) dad makes it and this is what I learned from him!
Prepare the Goat Meat
The first step would be to ensure your butcher has cut the goat meat up into 1-2 inch pieces. Cutting the bones at home yourself can result in damaging yourself or your knives. You should also remove excess fat from the goat pieces, which you can do yourself at home.
Next, wash the goat meat with your preferred method. I say preferred method because some people wash goat with lime/lemon, and some don’t. Some use flour or salt to wash the goat meat. So use what you prefer. The point of washing well is to remove extra slime found on the goat and any gamey taste/odour. Drain any excess water from the goat and add to a large bowl. (I chose to wash mine with salt.)
To the goat meat, add salt, black pepper, onions, garlic, green onions, chadon beni, thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper, and mix until everything is combined thoroughly. If you want Trinidad curry goat that tastes as best as it could, I highly recommend marinating this overnight. It makes all the difference. However, if you just don’t have that time, you can marinate anywhere from 1 to 4 hours, or even just cook it immediately. It will still taste absolutely amazing.
*If you are making this Trinidad curry goat recipe for a special occasion, it would be wise to prepare and marinate overnight. It will be delicious and make your life a bit easier!
Make the Curry Goat
In a small bowl, mix the curry powder and water together. Set aside.
Heat a medium to large pot with a heavy bottom over medium high heat. An iron pot or dutch oven will work well. Once hot, add in the oil, then add in the 1/4 sliced onion.
*Along with the sliced onion, you can also add some of the green seasoning from the marinating goat, such as pieces of scotch bonnet pepper, green onion, etc.
Once the onions have developed a golden colour, add in the curry powder mixture that you mixed earlier. Begin stirring the mixture in the pot. You will notice the liquid will begin to evaporate. Continue to stir occasionally.
Keep stirring until the water has completely dried up. At this point, you see the oil start to separate and the curry will have darkened in colour. It will also have a grainy look to it. This will take about 5 minutes.
Add the seasoned goat meat into the pot and stir until the goat pieces are coated with the curry mixture.
(*Fill the bowl that once had the seasoned goat in it with water, about halfway. Swish the water around to collect all the bits of seasoning that might have been left behind. This is flavour that will not be wasted. Set this aside for later.)
Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot (but not fully), and leave for 20 minutes to allow the goat meat to release its own juices. You should give it a stir every 5 to 10 minutes to avoid any sticking or burning.
After 20 minutes, remove the cover and increase the heat to medium-high. The goal now is to allow all that extra liquid that was released from the goat meat to reduce/evaporate. Stir the meat every 5 to 10 minutes to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue until all of the liquid had completely dried up.
Once the liquid has completely dried up, continue to cook for just 2 more minutes, stirring pretty much constantly. Doing this helps deepen the flavour even more, which makes the goat that much more flavourful.
Now add in the water that you reserved in the bowl. You might need to add in some extra water if it’s not enough. You want to add enough water to just cover the goat meat.
Stir the water into the meat, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow the goat meat to cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes.
Bring it Together
At the 1 hour mark, check the tenderness of the goat meat. From there you’ll have a better idea of how much more time the curry goat needs to be done. If you find the liquid is drying up and the goat still needs time to cook, add about 1 more cup of water and continue cooking. Once you hit the 1 hour mark, you can decide if the goat needs to be cooked longer to become more tender. It’s more about your personal preference at this point.
Once the goat is tender enough to your liking, leave the cover off. If there’s still a lot of liquid, allow it to slightly reduce, stirring occasionally. If there’s not enough liquid, add 1/2 cup of water and allow it to cook until it’s become thickened. You want it to be saucy, but not watery.
10 minutes before you remove the pot from the heat, add in the masala and ground cumin. Mix this in and cook for the remaining time. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the sauce. Before removing from heat, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve over rice or with roti.
Variations/Tips
For more delicious flavour, chop up some additional fresh green seasoning and add it to the hot oil, along with the sliced onions. Fry it up for a few minutes until the onions are golden, before adding in the curry mixture. This will create a really flavourful base for the goat meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
This can vary depending on your preference. First of all, the point of washing goat thoroughly is to remove slime and odour.
Method 1: lemon or lime can be used to wash the goat meat, however, many people don’t use this method as it’s believed the goat meat will become tougher.
Method 2: use flour to wash the goat meat. Just sprinkle in a generous amount of flour onto the meat, add water, and mix around thoroughly, ensuring you rub the pieces to remove slime and odour. Drain and rinse the meat well with water to remove excess flour.
Method 3: use salt to wash the meat. Use the salt method just like the flour method.
Chadon beni is a herb used in cooking, extremely popular in Trinidad and other Caribbean countries. It has a strong flavour, often compared to cilantro, but much more pungent. It adds depth to many different dishes. It’s also known as bandania, culantro, shadon beni, or Mexican coriander. You will almost always find chadon beni listed in the ingredients of curry goat recipes.
Looking for more Trinidadian recipes? Try Shrimp Accra, Sawine, Kurma, Trinidad Corn Soup, Peanut Punch, or Potato Salad
Trinidadian Curry Goat
Description
Saucy and spicy Trinidadian curry goat, best served over white rice or on the side of roti. These tender pieces of goat meat are bursting with flavours from the Caribbean.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Start by trimming off excess fat from the goat pieces. Then, wash the meat using your preferred method. See the FAQ above for more details on washing goat meat. Drain the extra water out of the bowl, as best as possible.
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Season the washed goat meat with salt, black pepper, sliced onion, minced garlic, sliced green onion, fresh thyme sprigs, chopped chadon beni, sliced scotch bonnet (optional). Mix everything together until thoroughly combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, but marinating overnight gives the best flavour. You can cook right away if you don't have the time to wait, though.
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When ready to cook the meat, heat a medium to large sized pot with a heavy bottom (such as an iron pot) over medium-high heat.
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Once hot, add the cooking oil in. Next, add in the 1/4 of sliced onion and begin sautéing until the onion has developed some colour. That will take about 2 minutes. You can also add in some of the chopped seasoning from the marinating goat, such as a few pieces of scotch bonnet.
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Once the onion has become golden, add in the curry powder mixture and begin stirring. The water will slowly start to evaporate. Continue to stir the curry powder mixture.
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Continue to stir and cook the mixture until all of the water has dried up and the curry has become grainy. You will also begin seeing the oil separate a bit and the curry powder will have become darker in colour. This will take a total of 5 minutes.
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Add the seasoned goat into the pot and stir until the meat is thoroughly coated in the curry. (Add some water to the empty bowl that held the seasoned goat and swish the water around to get all the remaining seasoning. Set aside for later.)
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Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and allow the goat to release its own juices. Stir every 5-10 minutes to avoid any sticking/burning at the bottom of the pot. Do this for 20 minutes.
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After 20 minutes, remove the cover and increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook until all the liquid has dried up, stirring every 5-10 minutes.
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When the liquid has dried up, continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring almost constantly. This helps to add even more flavour to the meat.
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Now, add the water that you filled in the bowl that had the seasoned goat into the pot. You need to add enough water to just cover the meat. Stir, bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. The goat will need about 1 - 1 1/2 hours to become soft and tender. Stir every 10-15 minutes so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
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At the 1 hour mark, check the tenderness of the meat. If it is still not tender enough, cover and continue to cook. Add more water if needed.
If the meat is tender enough to your liking, leave the cover off, increase the heat to medium, and allow the gravy to reduce until it is thickened. You want to make sure you have enough gravy, but that it's not watery.
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10 minutes before you take the pot off the heat, add the masala and ground cumin. Mix well and cook this until you remove the pot from the heat. Also, ensure that you still have enough thick gravy. Taste and add salt, if needed.
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Serve with rice or roti.
